On January 19, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany or Epiphany. On this day there was the appearance of the Divinity of the Savior and his solemn entry into His salvific service.

On the eve of Epiphany, the royal hours, the Liturgy and the all-night vigil are celebrated in churches, beginning with Great Compline.

On this holiday, two great blessings of water are held.

The first blessing of water is carried out on the eve of the holiday in the temple. In ancient times, this consecration of water was performed for the baptism of catechumens (not yet baptized people, but who have already received instruction in the fundamentals of the faith and who wish to be baptized). Subsequently, this consecration of water began to be performed "in remembrance of the baptism of the Lord."

Another consecration of water is performed on the holiday itself and is held under open sky. The source of this custom is the habit of the ancient Jerusalem Christians to remember the baptism of the Savior, going out on the day of Theophany to the Jordan River.

Epiphany Eve (January 18) is called "Epiphany Evening" or " Epiphany Christmas Eve».

There are many associated with this day. folk traditions and accept. For example, if on this day you accidentally sprinkle some kind of cereal, then the year will be bread. Or kind, if an old friend comes to visit uninvited that evening. Insomnia on the night of Epiphany portends a calm year.

In the old days, bowls of grain were put out on the street for the whole night, in the morning they looked at which grain was covered with hoarfrost, for that crop there would be a harvest (this can probably be done with seeds by modern gardeners and gardeners).

According to tradition, on the eve of Epiphany, it is imperative to thoroughly clean the home, clean it not only from debris and dirt, but also from negative energy.

How to cleanse the house of negative energy, read

On this day, it is prescribed to observe strict post, to be temperate not only in food, but also in behavior.

On Epiphany Christmas Eve, it is absolutely impossible to quarrel, be offended, and also have fun. In principle, it is not surprising, since it is believed that this is a time of rampant evil spirits, therefore, attracting and feeding it with excessive emotions is fraught with unpleasant consequences.

In order to protect yourself and your home from her attacks, protective rites are performed, amulets are made. For example, on the eve of Epiphany, they always put crosses with chalk on doors and windows to protect against the penetration of everything demonic.

On the same day, you can make a broom, brightly and elegantly decorate it and hang it on the wall in the hallway or in the kitchen.

Such a broom will be an excellent amulet for the whole year, it can symbolically sweep the house in a clockwise direction, as if sweeping away negative energy from your home.

If such a broom is placed upside down near the threshold, then it can become a protection against any evil spirits.

In addition, a broom made on the Epiphany evening can be thrown after a person with an evil eye or someone who comes into the house with bad intentions.

And in the spring, such a broom can be placed in the garden to protect against the evil eye and pests.

If misfortune happens in the house, the broom from Epiphany Christmas Eve will need to be buried at the crossroads, as it will absorb all the bad energy and it will no longer be possible to keep it in the house.

Guessing and telling fortunes on Epiphany Christmas Eve is strictly prohibited.

There is a belief among the people that witchcraft on Epiphany evening can release the devil from the other world, and he will harm a person throughout his future life.

In general, witchcraft and fortune-telling are considered by the people to be conspiracy with evil spirits, and since on the eve of Epiphany it becomes the most dangerous and acquires unprecedented power, magic should really be abandoned at this time.

But on the very feast of the Epiphany (January 19), divination and ritual actions aimed at gaining prosperity, health, love, and so on, acquire special power.

Although there is a strict ban on divination on Epiphany Christmas Eve, young and desperate people still go out to guess at their betrothed and future. since this evening is considered the last day of Christmas and Christmas fortune-telling.

However, if it is impossible to practice magic on Epiphany Christmas Eve, then it is not only possible, but also necessary, to conduct a protective rite for the happiness and health of your children, and on this very day.

For this ceremony, it is necessary to prepare photographs of children, preferably in full height, a little holy water, 3 church candles and plates, if possible without a picture according to the number of photographs.

Put the photos on plates, light the candles. Read the Lord's Prayer three times. Sprinkle the photos with holy water and read the plot three times:

“Lord, Jesus Christ! I will sprinkle the water of Your servants (the names of the children), I will remove all sorrows and troubles forever. Voditsa queen, take away from them the hour of thin and dashing, sorrow and illness. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

After that, the candles need to be extinguished, just do not blow off the light, but put it out with your hands, or in some other way.

Put the photographs in the Bible and let them be kept that way. On the next Epiphany Christmas Eve, the ceremony can be repeated.

If you do not know the prayer “Our Father”, then you can read it from the prayer book, but the conspiracy words must be written on a clean white sheet of paper with your own hand or memorized.

The biggest miracle of Epiphany Christmas Eve is that on the night of January 18-19, all water becomes holy, healing.

It is believed that on the eve of Epiphany, exactly at midnight, Jesus Christ himself plunges into the water, from which it “sways”.

IN old times, on the eve of Epiphany, before midnight, people went outside to water sources (rivers, lakes, wells, and so on) in order to collect Epiphany water, which has a very large healing power and, as soon as they see the swaying of water, make the most cherished wish.

The collected water was used not only for healing, but also in magic, especially in rituals that relieve spoilage, pride, envy, gluttony, love of love, anger, greed, and despondency. In addition, Epiphany water was used as the strongest tool to fight evil spirits and negative energies.

On the eve of Epiphany, if there was no river or pond nearby, water was poured into a vessel and placed on the table, waiting for the “swaying of water”.

There is a belief among the people that on this night the water sways by itself, and as soon as they noticed a spontaneous movement on the surface of the water in the bowl, they went out into the street and made a wish, asked for mercy, deliverance from troubles, looking at the "open heavens".

Such a ceremony among the people was considered one of the most powerful, they even claimed: “If you see flashes (on the surface of the water), ask at least the kingdom of heaven. Everything will be fulfilled."

Here I want to add personal observations.

This year I decided to check the veracity popular belief about spontaneous swaying of water.

A few minutes before midnight, I placed the bowl of water in a place where no influence from the outside could definitely affect it. After 24 hours, she began to observe the surface of the water. About three minutes later, I noticed an instant swaying along the very edge, it was so short that I couldn’t believe my eyes, but after a couple of minutes the swaying was repeated and it was impossible to call it except for “flashes”.

Great is the wisdom of the people, how clearly the word was chosen to describe the movement of water - it really looked like flashes, a very short and energetic movement, as my sister put it: “kick-kick”, and not on the entire surface, but only in one small part of it along the very edge of the water in the bowl.

In general, it is believed that on this night all water becomes holy, even the one that flows through water pipes. But somehow I don’t really believe in it, so every time the Epiphany water from my reserves comes to an end, on the evening of January 18, I pour tap water into a pot or a clean basin and put it outside, so that reflected the sky. I leave the water on all night.

In the morning I bring a container of frozen water into the house, let it melt, pour it into clean bottles and put it in a secluded place until it is needed. The most interesting thing is that such water does not deteriorate and does not become rotten for many years (personally verified in practice).

By the way the water froze on Epiphany night, you can judge what awaits you in the new year.

If the ice is smooth and beautiful, then this good sign if the water freezes in funnels or balls, then most likely difficulties and minor troubles await you.

Baptism is popularly called Epiphany and is celebrated annually on January 19, in 2018 this date falls on Friday. In Russia, this event is not included in non-working days although it is an official holiday.

The ancient and revered by all Christians feast of the Baptism of the Lord is becoming one of the most anticipated events in the entire church year. Everyone who has ever heard of the Orthodox faith knows about this holiday, which is why it is not surprising that even in modern world people continue to adhere to the strict canons of celebrating this wonderful day.

Epiphany 2018: The history of the holiday

This religious holiday, has been celebrated exactly since more than 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. It is believed that after the very baptism, the holy spirit descended from heaven to people in the form white dove. All heard the voice of God, which said: “You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!" Starting from that day, Jesus began his earthly mission, which ended, as everyone knows, with the resurrection, which became the progenitor of the Easter holiday. After baptism, Jesus Christ went into the desert, where he remained for 40 days and nights, preparing himself for the fulfillment of his sacred duty.

Epiphany 2018: Traditions of the holiday. Do's and Don'ts

Over time, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord has grown huge amount traditions that are sacredly revered by people to this day. Perhaps the most significant of them is the rite of bathing in the hole, the features of which should be known to everyone who wants to perform this action. Before bathing, a hole is cut through the ice, which is commonly called the Jordan in honor of the river in which Jesus was baptized. The priest dips the crucifix into the water and reads a prayer, which sanctifies given place for the next ceremony. You should plunge three times with your head, after which it is customary to read a prayer and get out of the water. It would seem, why expose your body to such stress on days when the Russian winter is especially fierce? However, bathing in the hole at Epiphany is an ancient and wise tradition. It is believed that on this day, the water in natural sources acquire special properties: after bathing in such water, not only diseases, ailments, evil eye are washed away, but also sins, of which a lot could have accumulated by this moment ...

  1. People with diseases of the heart, nervous and vascular system as well as pregnant women and children. This is especially true for the latter, since childhood the process of thermoregulation has not yet been formed, which is why the children's body is at risk of getting serious complications.
  2. You can not swim while intoxicated - because it is life-threatening!
  3. You can have a hearty meal before diving, but at the same time - do not overeat, and after that - drink hot tea.

If you follow all the rules, then this procedure at the Baptism of the Lord will certainly have a beneficial effect on your well-being: both physical and spiritual.

Epiphany 2018: Tradition to collect Epiphany water

Of course, not everyone will be able to plunge into the hole on January 19, 2018, but at the same time, each of us will be able to collect holy baptismal water for ourselves, and we will tell you further how, where and when it is best to collect baptismal water.

It should be noted that the consecration of water in churches takes place on January 18 on Epiphany Christmas Eve (after Divine Liturgy), and on the feast of the Epiphany itself. On these two days, you can collect baptismal holy water, while there is no difference when it is collected in the temple - on January 18 or 19. If you decide to draw water from the tap, then, accordingly, the best period for this will be the time interval from 00:10 to 01:30, which falls on the night of January 18 to 19, while water you can also dial later, throughout the 19th (until 24:00).

It is forbidden to quarrel and do bad deeds when holy water is in the hands.

Baptism 2018: Signs

This holiday has many signs, both in relation to life and nature:

It is bad luck to dilute holy water;

Starting from Christmas Eve, it is not advised to lend money. Otherwise, the culprit may be short of money for a year;

You can not perceive the holiday, only as entertainment to plunge into the hole;

A good sign for Baptism is the completion of some business;

Any agreement on this day necessarily ends in success;

Nature at Baptism also says a lot:

Heavy snowfall and dark clouds at Epiphany portend a rich harvest in autumn;

Barking dogs at night is good news;

A cross painted on the doors can protect the house from evil spirits;

On holidays, nothing can be taken out of the house, otherwise there will be material losses.

Unlike, no noisy celebrations, songs and dances are associated with this holiday. Almost all baptismal rites are based on the tradition of blessing water in lakes, ponds and rivers.

The church service in honor of the holiday begins at about 12 am on January 19 and continues until the morning. You can defend it, or you can just come to the hole in the morning. Epiphany water is considered healing.

It is given to sick family members to drink, pets are treated for it, rooms are sprinkled. It is also believed that epiphany water is able to drive away evil spirits, remove the evil eye and damage.

There are others baptismal traditions and omens. On this day, you can find out your fate and make a wish that will surely come true.

What can be done in
dive into an ice hole, if health permits (consult a doctor). Epiphany water washes away sins and helps to cleanse;
sprinkle all the corners of the house with holy water so that harmony and understanding reign in the family;
it is desirable to observe January 18-19 fast.
on Epiphany Christmas Eve the whole family gathers at the table, only lenten dishes are served on the table. But on January 19, a magnificent table with various goodies is already being arranged for the Holy Theophany of the Lord.
If a child is baptized on the day of Theophany, his life will be long and happy - this is what our ancestors thought.

What not to do at the Baptism of the Lord:
quarrel, swear, leave the house in anger; If you collect holy water in an angry state, it may lose its power.
complain, gossip, slander;
clean, wash, knit and sew. It is better to stop any work these days;
it is believed that on January 18 and 19 you can not cut your nails, cut your hair and generally remove nothing from the body. By popular belief so you can "shear off your fate" and spoil the karma for the whole year.
On Epiphany Christmas Eve and Vodorkhreschi Day, any alcohol is strictly prohibited.
You should not borrow money from someone, or lend it yourself - according to popular belief, any debt for Epiphany will stretch for the whole year.
after Baptism, one cannot guess, otherwise you will guess fate for the worse.

Theophany, or Watershed, as the day of the Baptism of the Lord is called, is a great holiday celebrated by Orthodox Christians annually on January 19th. Like any religious holiday, Epiphany also has pagan signs, which means that there are certain rituals and prohibitions that our ancestors adhered to.

On this day and on the eve of the holiday, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, special meaning water acquires - believers believe that the water consecrated these days has healing properties which keeps the whole year.

What to do on the Baptism of the Lord

  • On Epiphany Christmas Eve, January 18, church rules you need to fast. This post is not difficult and most importantly, short - just one day. Before the evening liturgy (and according to other versions - before the first star), only fasting dishes are allowed, the main of which was and is kutya. It is on Epiphany that this traditional porridge made from grains, honey, poppy seeds and dried fruits is cooked in last time during Christmas time.
  • The traditional dinner on Epiphany Eve was called "hungry kutya", but, as usual, the whole family, including children, gathers at the table.
  • On Epiphany, January 19, the hostess sets the festive table, which is sure to have meat dishes- post left behind. True, alcohol on this day is not only not welcome, but the church is prohibited.

  • Since water at Epiphany is of particular importance, it is customary to consecrate it in the church and collect it in wells and springs that are consecrated during the holiday. Water from open reservoirs is also considered holy if it was consecrated by a priest during procession. True, such water is still not worth drinking, but it is quite possible to sprinkle all the corners of an apartment or house, water the animals and water the flowers. It is believed that baptismal holy water helps to cleanse oneself of sins and even cure some diseases. This water is stored for next year and, according to believers, it does not deteriorate and does not lose its properties.
  • It is also important to meet the day of the Baptism of the Lord in cleanliness, because on the eve they arrange a general cleaning and go to the bathhouse.
  • Bathing in ice water on January 19, the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, is also a long tradition, although the church does not consider this ritual to be obligatory. Moreover, not everyone will benefit from such a procedure, especially if you are not prepared for winter swimming. By the way, the baptism of young Jesus by John the Baptist took place in the waters of the Jordan River, and, as we know, they are always warm.
  • If a child is baptized on the day of Theophany, his life will be long and happy - this is what our ancestors thought.

What not to do at the Baptism of the Lord

Surprisingly, there are not so many bans on Vodohreschi, and they all help to tune in to the positive.

    • Strange prohibitions, originally from paganism, include relations with scissors - it is believed that on January 18 and 19 they should be used with caution: you can not cut your nails, cut your hair, and generally remove nothing from the body. According to popular belief, this way you can “shear off your fate” and spoil the karma for the whole year.
    • On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord and the day before, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, one should not quarrel, scandalize, and even bad thoughts should be driven away from oneself. If you collect holy water in an angry state, it may lose its power.
    • On Epiphany Christmas Eve and the day of Vodorkhreschi, any alcohol is strictly prohibited - both the church and the doctors are united in this.
    • On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, one cannot work, especially sewing, washing, knitting, and so on.
    • You should not borrow money from someone, or lend it yourself - according to popular belief, any debt for Epiphany will stretch for the whole year.
    • On Epiphany Christmas Eve it is customary to guess, and dreams on the night of January 19 are considered prophetic. However, after Baptism, all fortune-telling must be stopped. It is believed among the people that fortune-telling and a conspiracy after Vodohreschi can work in the opposite direction.

The word "baptism" is translated from Greek as "immersion". Once upon a time, the Jews, according to the commandment of their God the Father, had to come to the Jordan River and wash away their sins in order to appear before the Messiah renewed and clean. For the first time this term is mentioned in the Bible in close connection with the name of John the Baptist. Further in the article, we will deal in detail with what needs to be done at the Epiphany of the Lord and how exactly this holiday is celebrated in Russia.

According to the plan of God the Father, before starting his journey dedicated to the salvation of the world, the Messiah, like all Jews, had to wash himself in the waters of the Jordan. To perform this sacrament, John the Baptist was sent to earth. When Jesus was 30 years old, he came to the Jordan River. At first, John the Baptist refused to perform the ceremony, considering himself unworthy. However, Jesus insisted, and the sacrament of Baptism was performed on him. When Christ came out of the water, the heavens opened up, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. In honor of this event, the church feast of the Epiphany is celebrated.

Fasting before baptism

First, let's see what needs to be done before Baptism. eleven public holidays Christmas Eve preceding Epiphany, according to church tradition, are considered modest. That is, at this time you can take any desired food. The last 12 days - the eve of the Epiphany itself - is fasting. On January 18, one should not eat fast food, and it is also necessary to pray fervently.

Water blessing before baptism

On the eve of the holiday, according to tradition, the church holds a very important preparatory sacrament. On the evening of January 18, at the end of the liturgy, the rite of blessing the water is performed. This tradition also has ancient roots. According to the ideas of the church, having entered the Jordan, Christ forever sanctified all the water on earth. However, since mankind continues to commit sins, periodic cleansing by the church is still necessary.

Therefore, it is possible to collect holy water even from the tap late in the evening of January 18th. The second great consecration of water takes place already on Theophany itself - during the procession.

How is the holiday

Now let's figure out what needs to be done at Baptism. Unlike Christmas, there are no noisy celebrations, songs and dances associated with this holiday. Almost all baptismal rites are based on the tradition of blessing water in lakes, ponds and rivers. Before Epiphany, a hole in the form of a cross breaks through the ice, in memory of past biblical events, it is called the Jordan. The church service in honor of the holiday begins at about 12 am on January 19 and continues until the morning. You can defend it, or you can just come to the hole in the morning. On Epiphany, priests and residents of a city or village gather around her. Usually an ice hole is made on the one closest to the church or locality body of water. A procession is made around it, and then a prayer service is served. This is followed by the blessing of the water. Then believers collect it directly from the hole in the containers they brought with them. Epiphany water is considered healing. It is given to sick family members to drink, pets are treated for it, rooms are sprinkled. It is also believed that epiphany water is able to drive away evil spirits, remove the evil eye and damage.

What else needs to be done at Baptism? Modern believers, as in past centuries, very often plunge right into the hole, even despite the frost. Of course, it is not necessary to do this according to church traditions. Usually such a procedure is carried out only by sick people who want to be cured.

Of the healthy people, traditionally, only those who performed some fortune-telling, rituals or rituals dating back to pagan times at Christmas time are dipped into the hole. Consecrated water washes away all sins associated with communication with evil spirits.

Of course, you need to be a very brave person to decide to plunge into the ice hole in the cold. However, as has been noted by many, not one of those who have ever bathed in Baptism has ever fallen ill.

What to Do After Baptism

After the end of the ceremony, believers go home, taking with them what they collected from the hole into the water. What to do when you come home from church service? When you go home, you must first of all sprinkle all the corners in the room with the brought water. According to an old belief, such an action will help rid the home of negativity, bring order and peace to it. Those who live in the village should also sprinkle all outbuildings. It would be very good to pour some holy water into the well.

There is another pretty interesting tradition. On the eve of Epiphany, especially believers buy a couple of doves somewhere. Coming from the service, they release the birds to freedom. This ceremony is held in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on Christ during his Baptism in the Jordan. If you have a soul to conduct such a ceremony, it will certainly also be an excellent answer to the question of what needs to be done at the Baptism of the Lord.

It is traditionally believed that the water in the hole, near which the procession was held, remains consecrated for another week after the holiday. If desired, you can plunge into it during this time to relieve illness and failure.

How not to behave

So, what needs to be done at Baptism and after it, we found out. A believer should fast on May 18, and go to church by 12 noon. Now let's see what to do on this holiday is absolutely impossible. Let's start with the fact that in Baptism you should not draw too much water from the hole. A jar or a pair will be enough plastic bottles. You should also not quarrel or swear during the service, procession and prayer service. The collected water must be brought home and used only for treatment and removal of negativity. Do not dilute it with any other liquids. Including ordinary water. This is considered bad omen. It is worth knowing that from very impious thoughts brought from the ice hole Epiphany water, after a while it may lose all its healing properties.

Sacrament of Baptism

What you need to do in the Baptism of the Lord, you now know. Next, consider what are the rules for the rite of acceptance of children into Christianity. Baptism, as already mentioned, originates from ancient times. Pass this rite in without fail everyone who wants to become a Christian should. Small children are baptized very often these days. Therefore, further we will give some advice to parents on how to properly prepare for this sacrament, how to behave during it and how to do it after.

Preparation

Some time before the appointed day of the sacrament, godparents should be chosen for the baby. It can be absolutely any people, at the choice of parents, except:

  • about to get married;
  • young children;
  • Gentiles;
  • complete strangers;
  • women who, at the time of the ceremony, should have critical days.

Before the sacrament, the chosen godparents must undergo a three-day fast. They also need to confess and take communion. Godmother traditionally buys a new shirt or undershirt for the baby, and Godfather- a cross. Parents will have to purchase a rizka. This is the name of the christening diaper with lace, in which the child is taken after immersing him in the vat. Rizku after the ceremony is not erased. It is folded and put away in the closet. Traditionally, it should accompany a Christian all his life.

Among other things, parents and godparents should learn the "Symbol of Faith" prayer. In some churches, after baptism, the priests give it to be read from a piece of paper, but not in all. You can also make a "cheat sheet" in advance yourself.

Conducting the ceremony

Now let's see what needs to be done at the Baptism of a child? This sacrament passes in the following order:

  • The priest asks questions to the child, for whom godparents should be responsible.
  • Then he anoints the baby with oil.
  • The actual rite of baptism takes place. The godfather should bring the girl to the font, the godmother should bring the boy.
  • The second godfather takes the child from the hands of the priest after immersion and dresses him in a purchased shirt.
  • The priest performs the chrismation.
  • A strand of hair is cut from the baby's head. Subsequently, she is left in the church.
  • At the final stage of the ceremony, the prayer "Symbol of Faith" is pronounced.

This is how a child is baptized. “What needs to be done?”, as you can see, the question is not too difficult. Parents just need to choose godparents and tell them what actions will be included in their duties during the ceremony.

What to do after baptism

After the child officially becomes Orthodox Christian, he will need to receive communion regularly in the church. Until the age of seven, this rite is performed without confession. The very sacrament of Baptism of the child, of course, should end with a solemn feast at home.

This holiday is actually very important for all Christians without exception - Epiphany on January 19th. What you need to do on this day according to church tradition, you now know. We hope that our article will also help to properly prepare for the Baptism of a child. In any case, on such important sacred days, you should try to discard everything negative thoughts and tune in only for the good.