When Baptism 2016: what number. Church holiday on January 19: how to celebrate
The Lord's Baptism is one of the most significant andthe ancient holidays of the whole Christian world. It has a clearly established date and when someone asks what number it should be celebrated, the answer is always given only one - on January 19. On this significant day, they carefully prepare and always try to conduct it in accordance with all the rules and canons of the Christian church.
How did this church holiday come about?
In the biblical texts, water is always given specialvalue. It is called the beginning of all beginnings, the source of life and development not only of man, but of the world as a whole. It is the day of Baptism that is considered the starting point from which Jesus began his way of serving people. The rite of immersion of the future Messiah into the quiet waters of the sacred river was marked by the arrival of the Great Lord in our world in three roles at once. First, a snow-white dove (Holy Spirit) sat on the water, then the voice of the Father was heard from heaven, and immediately Christ became the third incarnation - the flesh of God on earth. Since then, the memorable date is written in gold letters in the history of Christianity and is annually celebrated in splendor in all countries.
How and when the Baptism of 2016 will be met by Orthodox
As every year, in 2016, a church holidayThe baptism of the Lord is celebrated on January 19. On the eve, on Epiphany Eve, believers are instructed to observe fasting, to visit temples, to take communion and prepare the soul for the holy solemn night. An obligatory requirement is the consecration of water, and it is desirable to immerse the believer in the iced water.
The church statute says that every man,performing the rite of bathing in the ice hole, is completely cleansed of all committed sins and bad thoughts and receives God's blessing at the beginning of a new, righteous life, not burdened by shadows of the past.
The hole is specially cut in the form of a cross, andThey have at their disposal "royal gates", next to which there is a solemn divine service preceded by bathing. To dive into the water, clergymen are commanded only in a long shirt, so as not to expose their naked body to show, not to introduce those present into temptation and not to awaken anyone, sinful thoughts and desires.
All the water consecrated at the Baptism in the church,is considered life-giving. Believers try to stock it in the maximum amount, because, according to the biblical texts, it can heal physical and spiritual diseases, heal cuts and wounds, cleanse the body of harmful substances, expel demons and evil spirits from the home, protect adults and children from all sorts of temptations and fill the house with God's grace.
How to Celebrate Epiphany
