The Orthodox Church celebrates Epiphany or Epiphany on January 19 (according to the new style). This is the oldest holiday among Christians, and its establishment dates back to the days of the disciples-apostles of Christ. It also has ancient names: "Epiphany" - a phenomenon, "Theophany" - Epiphany, "Holy lights", "Festival of Lights" or simply "Lights", since it was the Lord Himself who came into the world on this day to show him the Light Unapproachable.
Feast Epiphany
The word "baptize" or "baptize" from the Greek language is translated as "immerse in water." It is almost impossible to understand the importance and the very meaning of what Epiphany bathing is without having an idea of the symbolic meaning of water in the Old Testament.
Water is the beginning of life. It was she who impregnated all living things that arose from her. Where there is no water, there is a lifeless desert. And water is capable of destroying, as in the time of the Great Flood, when God flooded the sinful life of people and thereby destroyed the evil that they did.
God by His Baptism made the water holy, and now the Blessing of Water is traditionally celebrated in memory of this event. At this time, water is consecrated in all Orthodox churches, and then in rivers and reservoirs.
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Jordan
On this day, a popular procession called the "Procession to the Jordan" is traditionally held in order to consecrate the water and then arrange Epiphany bathing in the ice-hole.
The baptism of John meant that as a body washed with water is cleansed, so a repentant soul who believes in God will be cleansed from sins by the Savior.
The biblical story tells of how Jesus came from Nazareth in those days and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. When Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Spirit descended like a dove on him. And a voice was heard from heaven: "You are my beloved son, in whom is my blessing."
The Epiphany revealed to people the Great mystery of the Holy Trinity, to which every one who is baptized participates. Then Christ told his apostles to go and teach this to all nations.
Epiphany bathing. Traditions
The tradition of consecration of water among our ancestors appeared from those ancient times, when in 988 the Kiev prince Vladimir baptized Russia. Now, only a priest can perform the rite of Consecration of Water, since at this time special prayers are read with three times immersion in the water of the cross. This is done on the very feast of Epiphany after the liturgy. But first, before that, an ice-hole is made in the reservoir, usually in the form of a cross, called "Jordan".
These days Epiphany water is a real shrine that can heal and strengthen the mental and physical strength of a person. Therefore, such a solemn procession of consecration takes place near the hole in the reservoir in order to make bathing available for people at Epiphany. Orthodox people take water from the hole and wash themselves, but the most courageous and brave literally dive into it.
Ancestral traditions
The Russians borrowed the tradition of swimming in an ice-hole from the ancient Scythians, who tempered their babies in this way. They simply dipped them into cold water and thereby accustomed them to the harsh climate conditions.
In addition, the tradition of swimming in the ice hole was also in pagan rites, so initiation into warriors took place. And to this day in Russia they like to rub themselves with snow after a bathhouse or jump into cold water.
Some pagan rituals have taken root in our lives to this day. Therefore, we swim in the ice-hole and celebrate Maslenitsa, which was tied to the beginning of Lent.
Epiphany holiday
According to church rules, on Epiphany Eve there is a “great consecration of water”. Believers come to church services, light candles and collect blessed water. However, it is not required to plunge into the ice-hole; it happens at the person's own will.
In general, in Russia it was believed that swimming in an ice-hole on Epiphany promotes healing from many ailments. Water, like living matter, is capable of changing its structure under the influence of information, so everything depends on the thoughts in the human head. Epiphany bathing turns into whole folk festivals; photos of this celebration always show how fun and interesting they are.
Baptism bathing. How right
But this fun and seemingly harmless activity can lead to a number of unpleasant moments. Epiphany bathing does not imply any special preparation. The human body is adapted to the cold, and therefore only mood is important here.
What can happen to the human body when immersed in an ice hole?
1. When a person is immersed in cold water with his head, he has a sharp excitement of the central nervous system and cerebral cortex, which in general has a positive effect on the entire body.
2. Exposure to low temperatures is briefly perceived by the body as stress, which can relieve inflammation, swelling and spasms.
3. The thermal conductivity of the air enveloping the body is 28 times less than the thermal conductivity of water. This is the hardening effect.
4. Cold water forces the body to release additional forces, and after contact with it, the temperature of the human body rises to 40 degrees Celsius. And as you know, at such a mark, microbes, diseased cells and viruses die.
Bathing rules
Swimming in Epiphany frosts implies the fulfillment of certain rules. The main thing is that the ice-hole is specially equipped and all this action takes place under the supervision of rescuers. The population is usually informed about such massive bathing places.
Swimming in an ice hole requires swimming trunks or a swimsuit, a terry robe and towels, as well as a set of dry clothes, slippers or woolen socks, a rubber cap and hot tea.
Before you arrange a bathing in Epiphany, how to do it correctly, it is very important to know. First you need to warm up a little by charging, or even better to do a run. The ice hole must be approached in non-slip, comfortable, easily removable shoes or socks. It is also necessary to check the stability of the ladder, and for safety reasons, throw a rope firmly attached to the shore into the water.
It is necessary to plunge into the ice-hole up to the neck and it is better not to wet your head, so that there is no narrowing of the vessels of the brain. Jumping into the ice hole with your head is also undesirable, as the loss of temperature can cause shock. Cold water will immediately cause rapid breathing, and this is completely normal, so the body adapts to the cold. It is dangerous to be in water for more than one minute, the body may cool down. You also need to be very careful about children who, frightened, may forget that they can swim.
You also need to be able to get out of the hole so as not to fall, but for this you need to hold on tightly to the handrails, and at the same time use a dry cloth. After bathing, you need to thoroughly rub yourself with a towel and put on dry clothes. After bathing, it is best to drink hot tea made from herbs or berries, prepared in advance in a thermos.
On this day, drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited, since it negatively affects the natural thermoregulation of the whole body, therefore, the consequences may be different. It is also important to know that swimming on a hungry or, on the contrary, a clogged stomach is also unacceptable.
Contraindications for swimming
No matter how useful Epiphany bathing is, there are still contraindications for this. And they relate to acute and chronic diseases. This is a violation of the cardiovascular system (heart defects, hypertension, heart attacks), the central nervous system (skull trauma, epilepsy), the endocrine system (thyrotoxicosis, diabetes mellitus), the visual organs (conjunctivitis, glaucoma), respiratory organs (asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis), genitourinary system (cystitis, inflammation of the appendages or prostate gland), gastrointestinal tract (ulcer, cholecystitis, hepatitis), skin and venereal diseases; inflammation of the nasopharynx and otitis media, etc.
Medical opinion
Medical experts in this field believe that in order for swimming in the ice-hole for Epiphany not to bring any unexpected troubles, you need to be absolutely healthy. And this is especially dangerous for those who smoke or drink alcohol, as the flow of blood to the lungs can cause inflammation or even swelling of the bronchi and pneumonia. In young people, not to mention the elderly, the arteries are not always able to respond correctly to cold water, and at this moment respiratory arrest may occur, and then the heart.
If you engage in systemic winter swimming, it will certainly contribute to the health of the body, but when this happens infrequently, then everything will become a strong stress for him, therefore, before swimming, you need to seriously weigh the pros and cons.
Conclusion
Many people on Epiphany heroically dare to swim in an ice hole, although this idea may be unsafe. However, the folk Epiphany bathing is very glorious, the photographs from these holidays are quite expressive, someone is just getting ready to go into the water, someone is already happy that he has bathed, and someone is already warming up and drinking hot tea.
Many believers believe that swimming in an ice-hole for Epiphany is a great blessing for a real Orthodox person. And that's how it is. Only here the main thing is to understand whether this faith is strong and deep enough for you to become a real shield from all troubles at the moment when Epiphany bathing occurs.
Pankova Oksana Vladimirovna