Epiphany bathing rites - tradition or new trend? The Presidential Library’s collections looking for answers

On January 19, Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the most important, twelve, holidays - Epiphany, or the Baptism of the Lord, recalling a significant event - the day when Jesus Christ was baptized. In the evening on the eve of this day, festive services are held in small churches and large cathedrals, the rite of blessing water is performed, first in the churches themselves, then in nearby reservoirs. After that, some believers and not only seek to plunge into the ice hole, called the Jordan, in memory of the Jordan River, in which the Savior was baptized...

Did our ancestors plunge into the hole with ice water and what has always been customary to do on the feast of the Epiphany? Let's try to find answers in the Presidential Library’s collections.

The day on the eve of Epiphany was fasting for believers, special prayers were served in churches, royal hours, then a liturgy with vespers, after which (as in our days) a great blessing of water was performed in the church itself. Then “in the evening or in the morning”, - we read in the book of 1886 Stories about the holidays of the Orthodox Church by priest John Bukharev, - on the very holiday... after the liturgy there is a procession to the so-called Jordan, that is, to the river, pond or well, to perform water sanctification…”.

The tradition of the "two-day" consecration of water is also explained here. On the eve of the feast, it is performed because in ancient times at this time the blessing of water was performed for the baptism of the catechumens, that is, those who were ready to receive the sacrament, so that they could already take part in the festive service as Christians the next day. But already “on the feast itself, it is performed solely to remember the baptism of Christ, for which Jerusalem Christians usually went to the Jordan River”. Therefore, according to the established tradition, the journey to the river for the second consecration is still called the journey to the Jordan to this day. There is not a word about swimming in the ice holes. It is only said that "the clergy go to the houses of the parishioners to sprinkle this sacred water".

There are similar descriptions in the book of Archpriest Vasily Nikolsky of 1892 The Twelfth Feasts of the Orthodox Church with a Historical Study of Them.... The author speaks of another tradition: at midnight to scoop up water from rivers or springs, based on the ancient historical opinion that the Savior was baptized in the silence of the night. In any case, baptismal water is considered by believers to be a great shrine, it is carefully stored and used during illnesses, to strengthen the spirit.

Modern priests also talk about the ambiguity of the tradition of bathing in the hole on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The rector of the Church of the Apostle Luke at the Stieglitz Academy in St. Petersburg, Priest Ilya Pavlov, in a conversation noted: “Some priests of the early 20th century called Epiphany bathing pagan remnants. A similar tradition exists in Greece and Cyprus. There, when the water is blessed, a cross is thrown into the sea, and the best swimmers dive after it. It is believed that if you get a cross, it will bring good luck. “The Russian tradition of mass Epiphany bathing, - according to father Ilya, “became widespread in the early 90s of the last century and was superimposed on winter swimming, which was popular in Soviet times.” “Believing people need to remember: the main thing on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the liturgy and, as a culmination, the Great consecration and the distribution of baptismal water to people, - the priest noted. Unfortunately, these components of the holiday for most Russians - in the light of Epiphany bathing and valiant prowess - most often remain invisible”. 

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord really brings a special joy for believers. The Presidential Library’s portal features a newsreel On the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, the ceremony of the procession, the blessing of water in the city of Pechory in 1938. The archival footage provides a large number of people during the procession in the Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery. Many hold glass bottles for holy water in their hands, and a little boy reverently and joyfully washes his face with ice-cold freshly blessed water.

The tradition of celebrating the Baptism of the Lord, as we can see, has centuries-old roots. But in addition to the main actions, such as the festive liturgy, the blessing of water, the procession, even more ancient images and traditions periodically begin to come to life in the people's minds. The main thing is to be carried away by the recreation of some customs, not to forget about the essence of the holiday and act sensibly, without risking your health.

The Presidential Library will help each reader to learn more about the history and cultural traditions of their country. Today, its electronic collections contain more than a million of the most interesting and often unique materials.