Diving into the hole for Epiphany is an act that not everyone can do. Firstly, it is very difficult to endure frost and ice water, even from a psychological point of view, and secondly, some believers are forbidden to do this for health reasons. How to plunge into the hole at Epiphany? Under this procedure is meant a threefold ablution, not necessarily with the head. Before this, you must definitely cross yourself and say a prayer, traditionally this is “Our Father”.

Immersion in ice water is a lot of stress. The adrenal glands react sharply and powerfully to it, throwing into the blood a large dose of potent anti-inflammatory hormones, which are normally released a little bit at a time. They inhibit all inflammatory reactions by simply “suppressing” the immune system, helping to endure cold, and adapt the body to endure stress.

If you properly prepare for a dive, a person with average health will endure a one-time dive without difficulty. But if he is at least a little weakened, in three or four days you will have to pay for your courage. According to Boris Skachko, the action of adrenal hormones continues after a release for a maximum of two days. After that, their deficiency occurs, and the body sharply weakens and becomes sensitive to any infections.

Run before the water bottle, and after the exit - warm yourself with tea. And if the thermometer is below ten, it is better to reschedule the session for the next time.

1. Before diving, be sure to consult a doctor. People with diabetes, arrhythmia, kidney problems, women with gynecological diseases, alas, it is better to forget about the hole. Hypertension patients can even have a stroke.

2. A week before diving, it is better to start preparing the body for frost. The first 3-4 days it is enough to go out on the balcony for a minute in shorts and a T-shirt. In the remaining days - add douche cold water. Enough one or two (in the last two days) basins of cold water.

3. Also, a week before the oatmeal, citrus fruits, herbs, rose hips and other foods rich in vitamin C should be excluded from the diet. After all, it stimulates the immune system, and it is not necessary to stimulate the immune system more than the act of winter swimming: it will be too much, the immune system will fall ".

4. Your clothes and shoes should be easy and quick to put on and take off. Dress properly. Ideally, clothes should not have fasteners at all, on extreme case- "lightning". It will be problematic to fasten buttons with fingers that do not obey after a frost, and even more so to tie shoelaces. You will only waste your time standing in the cold. Also, take a mat. You will stand on it while you dry yourself and change clothes. Don't forget your hat - put it on as soon as you jump out of the water.

5. Not all weather is suitable for swimming. The ideal temperature for beginners is 2 to 5 degrees below zero. You can take the risk of diving into a harder frost, but -10 is already a dangerous threshold for a person trying to dive into an ice hole for the first time.

6. The ice hole should be well cleared of ice fragments so that you do not slip and do not get hurt and make it easier to get out. It is desirable that she has a ladder or a shallow area for easy exit from the water. Never walrus alone - suddenly you need help.

7. Two hours before the dive, you must definitely eat a solid meal, that is, provide the body with “fuel”. When you find yourself in cold water, the body will begin to frantically spend all its resources on heating and not a single kilocalorie will be superfluous.

8. Enter the water warm and gradually. This makes it easier to bear the cold. To warm up before the procedure, you can run for several minutes, squat, do active movements. Enter the water slowly, at an average pace: if slowly, you can freeze, and if quickly, you may be frightened, severe stress, pulse and pressure rise sharply, take your breath away. Going up to your knees, rinse your face with water, wash your face. This will also prepare the body for full immersion.

9. Do not drink alcohol before swimming, otherwise the freezing after going out will be much stronger. In addition, there is a high risk of rupture of blood vessels. After diving, you can warm up with a small amount of alcohol (vodka is best), but ordinary tea is also great for warming up.

10. Do not sit in the ice "whirlpool" to goosebumps. Chills are a sign that the body has begun to overcool. As soon as you feel this, immediately jump out of the water. On average, it is enough to stay in the water for 10 seconds - you will just have time to plunge three times, as it should be according to tradition.

Doctors categorically forbid children to swim in the cold. Young children, especially infants, have an imperfect thermoregulation system. Frostbite can happen very quickly and parents simply do not have time to notice it. The consequences of such bathing are the most serious: the child may get pneumonia, meningitis, or another disease of the central nervous system.

Is it necessary to "dive" into the cold water?


Consecration with water can only be carried out by a clergyman of the Church. The ceremony is preceded by the reading of the appropriate prayers and the immersion of the cross in the "Jordan", in the water. On the days of the Baptism of the Lord, all water becomes holy and is used by the Orthodox for healing, prayer and strengthening of the spirit. It is important to remember that a full ablution with holy water is certainly part of the tradition, but it is not necessary to completely immerse yourself in the hole.


Ablution in consecrated reservoirs is carried out in order to strengthen and harden the body. This tradition originates from the bathing of babies in ice water among the ancient Scythian peoples.


The Church explains that washing in the hole is not the duty of believers, touching holy water by people should be done according to their strength, for example, it is enough for weak and sick people to scoop up water and wash themselves, and only the most courageous are allowed to immerse their whole body in the cold water of the reservoir.


It is important to remember that washing does not remove sins from a person, this happens after a series of prayers and during the traditional communion procedure.


Preparation


To the "Jordan", a hole in the shape of a cross, you need to approach in non-slip shoes (slippers, slates) or woolen socks. Walking barefoot in the snow can injure your feet or cause loss of feeling in your feet. Women are allowed to dip in a bathing suit or a plain long linen shirt. Men can dive in swimming trunks or underwear. From the house you need to grab a large towel, a warm bathrobe and a set of dry linen. In addition, it is recommended to grab hot tea in a thermos, preferably with honey.


There is no need to rush to the hole, it is important to remember that the path can be slippery, so you need to step slowly and carefully. Before plunging into the water, it is advised to do some warm-up movements, such as squats, swings or bends.


Basic Rules


1. Diving is allowed only in specially cut holes, the so-called "Jordan". The ice hole should be close to the shore, it is desirable that lifeguards are on duty nearby. Help will be invaluable if someone suddenly becomes ill from a temperature difference or begins to be drawn under water.


2. The steps of the ladder must be stable, and the ladder itself must be firmly fixed. For safety net, it is better if a rope with knots hangs over Jordan. It is needed so that dipping people can hold on to it.


3. You can dive up to the neck, but if health allows, then they plunge three times with their heads. After the believers read the prayer "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!" and baptized three times


4. Diving head first is prohibited. You need to enter the water gradually, keeping the vertical position of the body. Displacement of the body can provoke a blow to the ice edge.


5. Total time stay in cold water should not exceed 2 minutes. Otherwise, it is easy to get hypothermia of the body, especially if you plunged headlong, as this causes big losses heat.


6. After leaving the hole, it is important to thoroughly rub the body with a towel, dry off and change into woolen clothes.


Contraindications


Swimming in an ice hole, like an extreme procedure, has contraindications. So, it is strictly forbidden to plunge into ice water if a person is sick with acute respiratory viral diseases, is in a feverish or alcoholic state. Persons with diseases of the heart, cardiovascular system, central nervous system and chronic endocrinological diseases are also contraindicated full immersion into the winter hole.

Having become a tradition over the centuries, swimming in the hole made in the pond during the ancient Christian holiday of Epiphany raises many questions among people of different confessions and non-believers. This is really a way of physical and spiritual purification of a person, or a beautiful tribute to fashion. What happens at the time of immersion in an ice font and who will benefit from such a procedure.

Traditions of the Feast of the Epiphany

Baptism on January 19 and the very tradition of dipping into an ice font dates back to 988, since the introduction of Kievan Rus Christianity. According to the biblical story, Jesus, at his personal request, was baptized on this very day. During the ceremony by John the Baptist, Jesus was in the waters of the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove and a voice from above, proclaiming him the son of God. This event became the basis of the holiday. The very word baptize in translation from ancient Greek means directly immersion in water. It is believed that God made holy water with his baptism, that is, it has special healing properties. Considering that the water Old Testament considered the basis of all life, the importance of this tradition becomes clear.

After Divine Liturgy water is blessed in all churches. At this time of the Blessing of Water, all water elements are also endowed with miraculous qualities. For the Epiphany bathing in the cruciform hole, crowded processions are made, in Christianity called the Procession to the Jordan. It is believed that a body washed with holy water, like a purified soul that believes in the Savior, will receive health and blessings, and will join the sacrament of the Holy Trinity. In addition to the Christian overtones, the tradition of such bathing has been known since the time of the ancient Scythians and earlier pagan rites. In this way, they were initiated into warriors, healed, tempered newborns to adapt to the harsh climate.

Features of swimming in the hole

On the day of the Feast of the Epiphany, for accessibility to everyone, specially equipped in accordance with all safety rules, ice holes are specially arranged in the reservoirs in the form of a cross. After the consecration of the hole, people can draw water, wash themselves, and the most determined ones can take a dip. If the body is relatively adapted to cold, then great importance has a mood before bathing. The living structure of water is able to change under the influence of certain information, therefore, plunging into the hole, you need to tune in only to positive influence. Directly during immersion in the human body, many processes take place at lightning speed:

  • under short-term exposure to cold, the cerebral cortex and central nervous system are mobilized, which is positive for the body;
  • a stressful situation leads to a jump in immunity, pain relief, removal of inflammation, spasms, edema;
  • released under the influence of cold water internal forces, body temperature can reach 40 ° for a few seconds, causing the death of pathogenic microbes, viruses, cells;
  • the thermal conductivity of water is 28 times greater than air, which gives a huge hardening effect.

Considering the listed advantages of the procedure of dipping in cold water, we can confidently talk about its benefits. Despite the fact that the special physical training in principle, such bathing is not required, in some cases there may be a number of difficult moments. Without fear, official medicine recommends dipping to middle-aged men and women without complex pathologies. In any case, the sacrament of bathing at Baptism is a deeply individual decision for each person.

How to properly bathe in Epiphany

In addition to the appropriate mood, such bathing requires compliance certain rules helping to conduct the ceremony correctly and safely. The main point, especially in case of mass holding, is the presence of a specially equipped hole. The ice-hole should be arranged at a water depth of not more than 1.8 m, well fenced to avoid accidental falls, equipped with steps and handrails for descent. Everyone who wants to plunge into the hole should have a swimsuit or swimming trunks, a warm bathrobe, a towel, a set of dry clothes, underwear, slippers or woolen socks.

Before starting, it is recommended to warm up a little, for example, to go for a run, do squats or simple exercises. In this case, the body should not be sweaty, but only hot. To prevent a sharp narrowing of the vessels of the brain, it is not necessary to wet the head, but it is better to dip only on the neck. You can’t jump into the hole, you have to start diving from your feet. Swimming is not recommended, after 3 dipping it is better to immediately go out and not be in the water for more than 1 minute. Immediately after bathing, you need to rub yourself with a towel, put on dry linen and clothes without delay. Often a towel may not even come in handy, as the skin dries out instantly. But following church rules when swimming in the Epiphany hole, you need to plunge headlong three times. At the same time, there should be a short sincere prayer addressed to God, according to the Orthodox, this charges the water with tremendous power.

Bathing contraindications

It is strictly forbidden to use immediately before bathing and after it. alcoholic drinks. Alcohol in the blood has a bad effect on the state of thermoregulation of the body, sometimes with unforeseen consequences. Under its influence, the vessels dilate, increasing the flow of heat. Some time after use, a person may feel a surge of heat, but then, the opposite effect occurs abruptly and you can seriously catch a cold. Also, you can not smoke, as blood circulation is disturbed. Immediately after dipping, it is better to drink herbal decoction or hot tea. Swimming in a cold hole on a full or empty stomach is harmful.

With the obvious benefits of Epiphany bathing, the category of contraindications includes the presence of chronic or acute diseases. These include disorders of the cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems, as well as all kinds of inflammation of the genitourinary system, nasopharynx, otitis media. It is not recommended to plunge into the ice hole if you have suffered injuries of encephalitis, epilepsy and other complex pathologies. To avoid harm and get only benefit, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

The Orthodox Church on January 19 (according to the new style) celebrates Epiphany or Epiphany. This is the most ancient holiday among Christians, and its establishment goes back to the time of the disciples-apostles of Christ. It also has ancient names: “Epiphany” - a phenomenon, “Theophany” - Epiphany, “Holy Lights”, “Feast of Lights” or simply “Lights”, since it was the Lord Himself who came into the world on this day to show him the Light Unapproachable.

Holiday Epiphany

The word "I baptize" or "I baptize" with Greek translates as "I immerse in water." It is almost impossible to understand the importance and the very meaning of what Epiphany bathing is without having an idea of ​​what symbolic meaning water has in Old Testament.

Water is the beginning of life. It was she who fertilized all living beings that originated from her. Where there is no water, there is a lifeless desert. And water is capable of destroying, as in the time of the Great Flood, when God flooded the sinful life of people and thereby destroyed the evil that they did.

God made with his baptism holy water, and now the Blessing of the Waters is traditionally celebrated in memory of this event. At this time, water is consecrated in all Orthodox churches and then in rivers and reservoirs.

Jordan

On this day, a traditional procession is held, called " Procession to the Jordan ", in order to sanctify the water and then to arrange Epiphany bathing in the hole.

The baptism of John meant that just as a body washed with water is cleansed, so a penitent soul that believes in God will be cleansed from sins by the Savior.

The Bible story tells how Jesus from Nazareth came in those days, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. When Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, descended on him. And a voice was heard from heaven: "You are my beloved son, in whom is my blessing."

Epiphany revealed to people great secret Holy Trinity, to which every baptized person joins. Then Christ told his apostles to go and teach this to all nations.

Epiphany bathing. Traditions

The tradition of blessing water among our ancestors appeared from those ancient times, when in 988 Kyiv prince Vladimir baptized Rus'. Now only a priest can perform the rite of the Blessing of Water, since at this time special prayers are read with a triple immersion in the water of the cross. It's done by myself feast of baptism after the liturgy. But first, before this, a hole is made in the reservoir, usually in the form of a cross, called "Jordan".

During these days Epiphany water- this is a real shrine that can heal and strengthen the mental and physical strength of a person. Therefore, such a solemn procession of consecration is performed near the hole in the reservoir in order to make bathing at Epiphany available to people. Orthodox people draw water from the hole and wash themselves, but the most daring and courageous people literally dive into it.

ancestral traditions

The Russians borrowed the tradition of swimming in the hole from the ancient Scythians, who tempered their babies in this way. They simply dipped them in cold water and thus accustomed them to harsh climate conditions.

In addition, the tradition of swimming in the hole was also in pagan rituals, this is how initiation into warriors took place. And still in Rus' they like to rub themselves with snow after a bath or jump into cold water.

Some pagan rites have taken root in our lives to this day. Therefore, we bathe in the hole and celebrate Maslenitsa, which is tied to the beginning of Lent.

Epiphany holiday

According to church rules, Epiphany Christmas Eve there is a "great consecration of water." Believers come to church service, candles are lit and consecrated water is collected. However, plunging into the hole is not required, this happens by own will person.

In general, in Rus' it was believed that bathing in an ice hole at Baptism promotes healing from many ailments. Water, as a living matter, is able to change its structure under the influence of information, so everything depends on the thoughts in a person’s head. In whole festivities Epiphany bathing is transformed, photos of this celebration always show how fun and interesting they are.

Bathing at Epiphany. How to

But this fun and harmless, at first glance, activity can lead to a number of unpleasant moments. Epiphany bathing does not particularly imply special preparation. The human body is adapted to the cold, and therefore only the mood is important here.

What can happen to human body diving into an ice hole?

1. When a person is immersed in cold water with his head, he has a sharp excitation of the central nervous system and the cerebral cortex, which generally has a positive effect on the entire body.

2. Impact low temperatures short-term perceived by the body as stress, which can relieve inflammation, swelling and spasms.

3. The thermal conductivity of air enveloping the body is 28 times less than the thermal conductivity of water. This is the hardening effect.

4. Cold water causes the body to release additional forces, and after contact with it, the temperature of the human body rises to 40 degrees Celsius. And as you know, at such a mark, microbes, diseased cells and viruses die.

Bathing rules

Bathing in Epiphany frosts implies the implementation of certain rules. The main thing at the same time is that the ice hole is specially equipped and all this action takes place under the supervision of rescuers. The population is usually informed about such mass bathing places.

Swimming in an ice-hole requires the presence of swimming trunks or a swimsuit, a terry dressing gown and towels, as well as a set of dry clothes, slippers or woolen socks, a rubber cap and hot tea.

Before arranging a bath in Baptism, it is very important to know how to do it correctly. First you need to warm up a little with exercises, and even better, do a jog. It is necessary to approach the hole in non-slip, comfortable, easily removable shoes or socks. It is also necessary to check the stability of the ladder, and to secure it, throw a rope firmly fixed on the shore into the water.

It is necessary to plunge into the hole up to the neck and it is better not to wet the head so that there is no narrowing of the vessels of the brain. Jumping into an ice hole with your head is also undesirable, as a loss of temperature can cause shock. Cold water will immediately cause rapid breathing, and this is completely normal, as the body adapts to the cold. It is dangerous to be in water for more than one minute, the body may cool down. You also need to be very careful with children who, if frightened, may forget that they can swim.

You also need to be able to get out of the hole so as not to fall, and for this you need to hold on tightly to the handrails, and at the same time use a dry rag. After bathing, you need to thoroughly rub yourself with a towel and put on dry clothes. After bathing, it is best to drink hot tea from herbs or berries, prepared in advance in a thermos.

On this day, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, as it negatively affects the natural thermoregulation of the whole organism, and therefore the consequences may be different. It is also important to know that it is also unacceptable to swim on an empty stomach or, conversely, a clogged stomach.

Bathing contraindications

No matter how useful Epiphany bathing is, there are still contraindications for this. And they relate to acute and chronic diseases. This is a disruption of cardio-vascular system(heart defects, hypertension, heart attacks), central nervous system (cranial injury, epilepsy), endocrine system(thyrotoxicosis, diabetes), visual organs (conjunctivitis, glaucoma), respiratory organs (asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis), genitourinary system (cystitis, inflammation of the appendages or prostate), gastrointestinal tract (ulcer, cholecystitis, hepatitis), skin and venereal diseases; inflammation of the nasopharynx and otitis, etc.

Opinion of physicians

Medical experts in this field believe that swimming in the hole at Epiphany does not bring any unexpected troubles, you need to be absolutely healthy. And this is especially dangerous for those who smoke or drink alcohol, as blood flow to the lungs can cause inflammation or even swelling of the bronchi and pneumonia. In young people, not to mention the elderly, the arteries are not always able to properly respond to cold water, and at this point, respiratory arrest may occur, and then the heart.

If you engage in systemic winter swimming, then this will certainly contribute to the improvement of the body, but when this happens infrequently, then everything will become a strong stress for him, so you need to seriously weigh the pros and cons before swimming.

Conclusion

Many people on Epiphany heroically decide to swim in the hole, although this idea may not be safe. However, the folk Epiphany bathing, photos from these holidays are quite expressive, someone is just getting ready to go into the water, someone is already happy that he took a swim, and someone is already warming up and drinking hot tea.

Many believers believe that swimming in the hole at Baptism for a true Orthodox person is a great blessing. And that's the way it is. Only here the main thing is to understand whether this faith is strong and deep enough for you to become a real shield from all troubles at the moment when Epiphany bathing takes place.