January 19 – Baptism of the Lord: history, traditions and signs of the holiday. Today it is impossible to wish another person evil, to think badly, to spread evil gossips, to condemn.
The Lord’s baptism is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on January 19 (or January 6 for Catholic churches with Christmas on December 25), a time when Christians commemorate Jesus and the sages brought to him by the Star of Bethlehem. Catholic and Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate .
Ukraine , Ukraingate , 19 , January , 2022 | Culture
History of the holiday
The Baptism of the Lord is one of the oldest Christian holidays. It has been celebrated since the end of the second century, before Christmas was established. Like other Christian holidays, the church established the Epiphany instead of one of the pagan Slavic rites. Back in 1996 BC. the Egyptians worshiped the winter solstice, paying homage to Aeon, the Virgin. It is important that the holiday was founded in the Julian calendar.
Epiphany also occurs when some churches mention that Jesus was baptized when he was about 30 years old and began teaching people about God. Baptism means “revelation,” and both the visit of the sages and his baptism are important moments when Jesus was “revealed” as very important to the world.
Traditions and rites
The baptism, which is celebrated on January 19, marks the baptism of Jesus in the Orthodox Church. As everywhere in the Orthodox world, the church holds the rite of the Great Blessing of Waters, also known as the “Great Consecration of Water.” Believing that on this day the water becomes holy and endowed with special powers, Orthodox Christians cut holes in the ice of lakes and rivers in the shape of a cross to bathe in icy water. This practice has become popular relatively recently; it has been thriving since the 1990s.
Epiphany bathing
Many unforgettable traditions have remained since the days of paganism. One of these is divination during the celebration of Christmas. This contradicts the sermons of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, the rite of baptism is of great importance for the forgiveness of sins. On the eve of the river is a hole in the form of a cross. Priests consecrate it with the sign of the cross three times. After that, everyone can dive into the ice-hole. It is believed that such bathing is healing, and the rite itself comes from the sacred Jordan River, where the first Christians were baptized.
Signs
It is believed that divination on Epiphany will give true results. However, according to Orthodox beliefs, divination is a grave sin.
To protect against evil spirits, crosses are painted on all doors at the Epiphany.
To protect the house from misfortune, it is impossible to start quarrels and gossip this evening.
A bad sign is the work on Epiphany, as well as drinking alcohol.
The use of consecrated baptismal water will protect against disease.
The barking of dogs at the Epiphany speaks of future prosperity in the family.
Falling snow is a good sign, because on this day all the water is considered sacred.
Source : Ukrgate
