Epiphany bathing. In our city, they annually gather more and more people, especially young people. Baptisms await just like the New Year holidays. Prepare for it in advance, prepare food, drink. There are frequent cases when bathing in the ice-hole continues with a trip to a car party. For most modern youth, bathing at Baptism has become a cross between a feat, extreme entertainment, and folk tradition. A tradition based not on faith, but on fashion.
Of course, there are some believers who take part in this ritual. But after our conversations with them, we concluded that the majority blindly repeats the actions of others, being fully confident that bathing at Baptism is bequeathed by the Bible. But this is not so.
Baptism is almost the main holiday of the 12 Great Orthodox Christian holidays. It was on this day that Christ was baptized by the Jordanian waters. In imitation of this event, believers plunge into the hole, believing that they will wash away all sins. But this is absolutely not so.
The father explained that Baptism is a holiday in which folk customs are intertwined with religious beliefs. The clergyman is sure that true believers should spend the whole day in the Temple. Listen to the liturgy, confess, receive communion, and be cleansed of sins. Only this can save the sinner from the evil end, and not at all bathing in Baptism.
By the way, doctors, rescuers, clergymen regretfully note: the belief that it is impossible to catch a cold in the Epiphany ice hole is completely groundless. It is worth looking at the statistics of diseases or accidents to make sure of this. Faith does not save from the common cold, because God did not require bathing for baptism in the ice hole to be compulsory. This is not canonical. This is just a folk tradition.
Custom came to us from Greece. Remember what climate is in this country? From January 18 to 19 there are no frosts or frozen ponds. Therefore, bathing at Baptism there does no harm. And in Russia, from ancient times, Jordan was cut down in ice.
Why do priests take ablutions at Baptism? Bathing in the hole, in their opinion, means a communion with the grace that the Lord sent to the "nature" of all waters. But on the other hand, archpriest Mikhail Dudko, secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate for relations between the Church and society, comments, since it is very difficult psychologically to immerse oneself in ice water, the act is a sacrifice to God.
I am not going to understand the intricacies of scripture or philosophical interpretations. My goal is to protect all believers and unbelievers from the dire consequences that may occur after the bathing at Baptism is over.
I propose a few rules, adhering to which people can protect their health.
- Check with your doctor that you are not suffering from diseases that are incompatible with winter swimming. This will protect you from cramps, heart attacks, rheumatism, severe colds, inflammation, and other misfortunes.
- Take care of a properly arranged font. It should be no deeper than 180 cm, with non-slip steps, railings. Nearby must be a warm dressing room, hot tea, dry clothes. And no alcohol.
- Think about clothes. Swimsuits that expose the body - disrespect for religion. Therefore, many sew long, similar to baptismal shirts. But rubber slippers with non-slip soles are an obligatory accessory.
- Enter the hole slowly, carefully. A sharp immersion in ice water can cause convulsions, a heart attack, shock, etc. It is customary to dive three times with the head. But if you are prone to cramping, it’s best not to.
- Beware of euphoria! Usually, in response to stress from ice water, a person falls into ecstasy. It seems to him that he can spend another 5 minutes in the hole. However, this is a direct route to the hospital.
- Be sure to dry, keep warm after bathing. Best of all - in a warm room.
I believe that getting rid of sins, proving your piety or having extreme fun can be done in safer ways. However, everyone chooses what to do. Therefore, I can simply wish good health to everyone who is going to swim in the ice hole on the night of January 18-19.