Epiphany
(/ɪˈpɪfəni/ ə-PIFF-ə-nee), also Theophany or
Three Kings' Day, is a Christian feast day
that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate
as Jesus
Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but
not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ
child, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles.
Moreover, the feast of the Epiphany, in some Western Christian denominations, also initiates the liturgical
season of Epiphanytide. Eastern Christians, on the other hand,
commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan
River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.
The
traditional date for the feast is January 6. However, since 1970, the
celebration is held in some countries on the Sunday after January 1. Eastern
Churches following the Julian
calendar observe the feast on what for most countries is January 19 because
of the 13-day difference today between that calendar and the generally used Gregorian calendar. In many Western Christian
Churches, the eve of the feast is celebrated as Twelfth Night. The Monday after Epiphany is
known as Plough Monday.
Popular
Epiphany customs include Epiphany singing, chalking
the door, having one's house blessed, consuming Three
Kings Cake, winter swimming, as well as attending church
services. It is customary for Christians in many localities to remove their
Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve
(Twelfth Night), although those in other Christian
countries historically remove them on Candlemas,
the conclusion of Epiphanytide. According to the first tradition, those who
fail to remember to remove their Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve must
leave them untouched until Candlemas, the second opportunity to remove them;
failure to observe this custom is considered inauspicious.
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SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)
The
Epiphany, celebrated in Russia on January 19, marks the baptism of Jesus in the
Orthodox
Church. As elsewhere in the Orthodox world, the Russian Church conducts the
rite of the Great Blessing of the Waters, also known as "the Great
Sanctification of the Water" on that day (or the eve before). The
priest-led procession could simply proceed to the font,
but traditionally the worshipers would go to a nearby lake or river.
Historical
records indicate that the blessing of the waters events took place at the
courts of Moscow Czars since no later than 1525. According
to historians, the blessing of the waters procession was the most magnificent
of the annual Czar's court's ceremonies, comparable only to such special events
as royal coronations and weddings. After a divine
liturgy in the Kremlin's Dormition Cathedral, the procession,
led by the Czar and the Patriarch of Moscow would proceed to the frozen
Moscow
River. A small gazebo,
called Iordan', would have been erected on the ice and
decorated with holy icons, one of which would depict the Baptism
of Christ. The Patriarch would immerse his cross into the river's water;
and sprinkle the Czar, his boyars, and the banners of Czar's army's regiments with the
holy water. A load of holy water would then be brought back to the Kremlin, to
be used in blessing the Czar's palace. On a smaller scale, similar events would
take place in the parishes throughout the nation.
Believing
that on this day water becomes holy and is imbued with special powers, Russians
cut holes in the ice of lakes and rivers, often in the shape of the cross, to
bathe in the freezing water. This practice is said to be popularized
comparatively recently; it was fairly uncommon in the czarist days, but has
flourished since the 1990s.
Participants
in the ritual may dip themselves three times under the water, honoring the Holy
Trinity, to symbolically wash away their sins from the past year, and to
experience a sense of spiritual rebirth. Orthodox priests are on hand to bless
the water, and rescuers are on hand to monitor the safety of the swimmers in
the ice-cold water. Others limit their participation in the Epiphany rites to
those conducted inside churches, where priests perform the Great Blessing of
Waters, both on Epiphany Eve and Epiphany (Theophany) proper. The water is then
distributed to attendees who may store it to use in times of illness, to bless
themselves, family members, and their homes, or to drink. Some Russians think
any water – even from the taps on the kitchen sink – poured or bottled on
Epiphany becomes holy water, since all the water in the world is blessed this
day. In the more mild climate of the southern city of Sochi meanwhile,
where air and water temperatures both hover in the low to mid 10 degree Celsius
range (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in January, thousands of people jump into the Black Sea
at midnight each year on Epiphany and begin to swim in celebration of the
feast.
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