Baptism is an ecclesiastical sacrament aimed at the regeneration of the human soul for a new life without anger and sin. This ceremony, important for every believer, originates from the time of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, who came to give people purification and light.
Instructions
Step 1
The Baptism of the Lord, celebrated according to the Orthodox calendar on January 19, ends the Christmas week after the Nativity of Christ. Other names for the holiday are Epiphany or Enlightenment, because it was this day that became evidence of the existence of God - the Father, Jesus Christ - his Son and the Holy Spirit. People learned about this, saw the Son of God, accepted him and were baptized in order to cleanse themselves from the dark forces and receive light into their souls.
Step 2
The story tells about the Baptism of Jesus Christ as follows. John the Baptist performed a ritual cleansing washing of people in the waters of the Jordan, because water is considered a symbol of purity and holiness, giving life. Jesus came to John the Baptist to also perform ablution, striking with such an act John, who believed that it was he who should receive baptism from the son of God, and not baptize him himself. When Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan River, the heavens opened over his head, shedding a wonderful light, and the voice of God the Father was heard, testifying that this is his beloved Son, and a white dove - the Holy Spirit - fell on Jesus' shoulder from the clouds. Since then, people have been receiving holy Baptism with the words "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," and baptized themselves with a threefold sign with three fingers of their right hand.
Step 3
The eve of the holy feast of Epiphany is called the Eve or Epiphany Christmas Eve. On this day, believers observe a strict fast, spend it in prayer and repentance, and in the evening go to church services. Despite the fact that this is the last day of Christmas, it is impossible to guess on Epiphany Eve - on this day it is customary to prepare for cleansing and absolution.
Step 4
One of the traditions of the holiday is the consecration of holy water, which is held in churches, both on the holiday itself and on the eve. The Testimony of Athanasius the Great says that whoever does not wash with baptismal water must be excommunicated from church secrets for 40 days. Therefore, even in the evening, ice-holes in the form of a cross are cut in rivers and lakes, they are consecrated so that everyone who wishes can receive divine blessings and holy cleansing by plunging into the ice-hole. They say that the one who bathed for Epiphany in the ice-hole will not get sick all year. And although this statement has no scientific confirmation, on January 19, thousands of people bathe in an ice hole. In addition, it is believed that all the evil spirits that walked the earth during Christmas time also go into the water, cleansing the earth of evil spirits. All corners of the house are sprayed with consecrated Epiphany water and drunk on an empty stomach to get rid of diseases and failures. Epiphany water does not deteriorate for a long time, retaining its healing properties, so you can drink it for a whole year.
Step 5
The modern rite of receiving Baptism consists of several parts: preliminary conversations; announcements, when a person denies the devil and makes a promise to live with faith in his soul; immersion in holy water and chrismation. And if adults are aware of the actions they are taking, during the baptism of infants, all responsibility for the future spiritual enlightened life falls on the godparents. Taking the child from the holy chalice after washing (hence the second name for godparents - receivers), they promise before God to bring up the child in faith and piety. Performed once in a lifetime, the sacrament of accepting holy Baptism makes it possible to be reborn anew, leave your past sinful life, repent and become a different person, with pure thoughts and kindness in your heart. And the feast of the Baptism of the Lord gives you the opportunity to rethink your actions, to let God into the heart, get rid of anger and vices. Because only such a person will receive the blessing and eternal life in Paradise.
