Serg
Gallery
ICE HOLE BATHING #11 | COLD WATER | SWIMMING WINTER | EPIPHANY BAPTISM 2023
It is is third aspect of Christ’s victory that is the focus of the Orthodox celebration of Theophany (which means, “the observation or revelation of God”) on Jan 6, which marks the end of Christmas. In the Christian west this celebration is called Epiphany (which means, “an intense observation”). The two names mean essentially the same thing, but the day is celebrated differently. In the west, Epiphany focuses on the magi’s visit with the young Jesus, and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That is part of the Nativity celebration in the east. On Jan 6, the east focuses on Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan. In the west, that celebration occurs on the Sunday immediately following Jan 6. So east and west celebrate all the same things; it’s just that they get slotted in on different dates. It’s therefore helpful to speak of the eastern celebration as Theophany and the western celebration as Epiphany in order to distinguish the two different points of reference.
The Orthodox Epiphany holiday is one of the most significant holidays in the Christian Orthodox tradition, celebrating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. For many, it is celebrated with a special meal, but this cold dip has come back to the forefront in the last couple of decades.
At the traditional baptism site along the Jordan River in Jordan and Israel, Christian pilgrims mark Epiphany with immersion rites and processions, reenacting the baptism of Jesus.
Holidays of Orthodox baptism. Ice cross hole and a cross of the feast Epiphany
