Every year on January 19, all Orthodox Christians celebrate the great holiday of Epiphany. It is also called Epiphany. If you honor everything Orthodox traditions and want to feel all the grace of the holiday, then you will be interested to know what time the Epiphany service will begin in 2019. Please note that in every church it begins with Compline on January 18th. But it is better to check the exact time it began in the temple you are going to.

According to the gospel stories, John, who had previously preached a lot about the coming of the Savior to earth, baptized Christ in the Jordan River. During the ceremony, the sky opened and the Holy Spirit descended on the Messiah. He was in the body of a dove, and a heavenly voice was heard saying that Christ was the son of God. After the sacrament of baptism, Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, withdrew into the desert, where he prepared in solitude to fulfill the mission with which he was sent to earth.

All Orthodox Christians know what date Baptism is expected, because its date does not change. On the evening of the 18th, services begin in all churches. Compline ends with litia, the service moves into Matins. Matins ends with the dismissal of the Orthodox. And only after the completion of the liturgy is the obligatory rite of blessing the water performed.

In temples, people collect holy water in containers they bring with them. However, you don’t have to try to take home a year’s supply of liquid. It is enough to take a small bottle and then dilute it with this blessed water ordinary tap water. Even researchers note that the structure of water changes on the night of the 18th to the 19th, it becomes more orderly.

In temples, water is blessed both on eve of the evening and on the holiday itself. The clergy read a prayer over the ponds and lower the cross into it three times. After this, it is believed that one can immerse oneself in the consecrated fonts. Those who are not ready to plunge into the cold at the Epiphany of Christ in 2019 ice water, they can simply wash their face with it.

If you want to do personal feat to confirm the strength of your faith, and plunge into the “Jordan” carved in the ice, then find out in advance when it is necessary to do this. In most temples, water is blessed on the morning of January 19; only after this ritual is completed is it worth performing a symbolic ablution with holy water.

It is worth noting that before diving into a body of water it is better to get a blessing from your confessor. At the same time, the church does not oblige anyone to plunge into icy water. It's just an established tradition. Such a dip symbolizes the beginning of a new spiritual life; it is believed that water helps cleanse a person’s soul from sins.

The date of Epiphany is surrounded by many superstitions. But it is worth remembering that diversity and attempts to find out the future are not welcomed by the church. Also on the day of Epiphany, various signs are popular. For example, a starry night means a dry summer, and a thaw means good harvests. Fog over the water for a good grain year.

Don't forget to congratulate your loved ones on this twelfth holiday. You can say these words to them:

may the holy Epiphany water wash away all sorrows and give health;
I wish on the day of Baptism to leave all sorrows and adversity;
let confession, repentance and ablution in sacred water will bring you closer to the Lord and purify your thoughts;
Congratulations on the Baptism of the Savior! May holy water give you health and vigor.

The service for the Epiphany of the Lord was established by the Orthodox Church in honor of an important and significant evangelical event - baptism in the Jordan. The feast of Epiphany belongs to the twelfth church holidays, that is, those that tell about events from the life of the Savior and the Mother of God, and are celebrated with special solemnity.

The Orthodox service for Epiphany, with the exception of some nuances, almost completely repeats the service of the Nativity of Christ. This coincidence occurs due to the fact that until the 5th century these two holidays were celebrated on the same day - January 6 according to the old style. Previously, on this day it was customary to also baptize catechumens - people who had been prepared for the sacrament of baptism, therefore it was also called the Feast of Light and the Feast of Enlightenment.

Features of the sermon on Epiphany

The service for the Epiphany of the Lord is unusual and beautiful - clergy in snow-white vestments, many candles, a choir singing festive troparia. Both at Vespers and at the Divine Liturgy, the rite of the Great Blessing of Water takes place, which is served only at Epiphany, and therefore always attracts a large number of believers. This ceremony is carried out very solemnly: the priest comes out of the altar, carrying a cross on his head, he is preceded by ministers with large candles. Directly on the day of the holiday, the blessing of water, if possible, is carried out in a natural reservoir. During the Liturgy, the priest must preach a sermon on the Epiphany of the Lord, which tells about this evangelical event and reveals the dogmatic meaning of the holiday.

The service for the Epiphany of the Lord ends Christmastide

In some churches, the service for the Epiphany of the Lord takes place at night, smoothly flowing from Vespers to Divine Liturgy. Those wishing to receive Communion at this service should remember that food can be taken six hours before Communion. The Gospel does not say anything about the date of the Baptism of the Lord; it is quite possible that Jesus was baptized in the summer and not in winter, and that is why the service of the Baptism of the Lord was at one time tied to the service of Christmas - the two combined the Epiphany. At Christmas, God was born in the flesh, revealing himself to the world, and at Baptism he revealed himself to everyone, showing his trinity: everyone who was present at the baptism of Jesus saw simultaneously the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as all four evangelists tell about it.

The eve of the holiday - January 18 - is called the Eve of Epiphany, or Christmas Eve. The services of the Vigil and the holiday itself are in many ways similar to the service of the Vigil and the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. On the Eve of Epiphany, as well as on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, the Church prescribes strict fasting: eating food once after the blessing of water.

Epiphany

The Feast of the Epiphany, or Epiphany, is also called the Day of Enlightenment and the Feast of Lights - from the ancient custom of performing the baptism of catechumens on the eve of it (on the Vespers), which is, in essence, spiritual enlightenment. A description of the event of Baptism is given by all four Evangelists (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23; John 1:33-34), as well as in many stichera and troparia of the holiday . “Today the Creator of Heaven and earth comes in flesh to the Jordan, asking for Baptism, the sinless one... and is baptized by a servant, the Lord of all...” “To the voice of him crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord (i.e. to John), you have come, O Lord, taking on the form of a servant, asking for Baptism, not knowing sin.” The baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ is in the closest connection with all His Theanthropic work of saving people; it constitutes the decisive and complete beginning of this ministry.

Christ the Savior in Baptism bestows (by water) grace “decisive for soul and body together.” The Baptism of the Lord in the matter of redemption of the human race had great saving ontological significance. Baptism on the Jordan exudes to mortals remission, remission of sins, enlightenment, restoration of human nature, light, renewal, healing and, as it were, a new birth (rebirth).

“New creators of the earth, New Adam was the Creator, performing a strange rebirth and wonderful renewal with fire and Spirit and water...” The baptism of Christ in the waters of the Jordan had not only the meaning of a symbol of purification, but also a transforming, renewing effect on human nature. By immersing Himself in the waters of the Jordan, the Lord sanctified “the whole nature of the waters” and the whole earth. The presence of Divine power in the watery nature transforms our corruptible nature (through Baptism) into incorruptible. Baptism had a beneficial effect on the entire dual human nature - on the body and soul of man. “By the spirit of the soul you create new things, and with water you sanctify the body, folded, edifying (recreating) animals... having in themselves eternal life.” The Baptism of Christ the Savior was actually a prefiguration and foundation of the mysteriously grace-filled method of rebirth by water and the Spirit in the sacrament of Baptism given after His Resurrection and Ascension. Here the Lord reveals Himself as the Founder of a new, grace-filled Kingdom, which, according to His teaching, cannot be entered without Baptism (Matthew 28:19-20). “Whoever comes down with Me and is buried in Baptism, with Me he will enjoy the glory and resurrection,” Christ now proclaims.”

The threefold immersion (of every believer in Christ) in the sacrament of Baptism depicts the death of Christ, and the coming out of the water is communion with His three-day Resurrection. Christ the Savior “made from water (by baptism) mysteriously by the Spirit... a Church with many children, first (before) childless.”

At the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, true worship of God (religion) was revealed to people, the hitherto unknown secret of the Trinity of the Divine, the secret of the One God in three Persons was revealed, and the worship of the Most Holy Trinity was revealed.

“Trinity, our God, show Himself to us today inseparably: for the Father proclaimed the revealed (open, obvious) evidence of kinship (kinship), the Spirit descended from Heaven in the form of a dove, the Most Pure Son bowed the top of His Forerunner...”

The chants comprehensively and touchingly describe the experiences that the Forerunner experiences when he sees Christ who came to be baptized by him. John the Baptist points to the people listening to him about the coming Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, awaited by all Israel: “This, deliver Israel, free us from corruption.” And when the Lord asked him for baptism, “the Forerunner trembled and exclaimed loudly: how can a lamp illuminate the light? How can a slave lay his hand on the Master? Savior, who took upon yourself the sins of the whole world, You yourself sanctify me and the waters.” “Although You are the Child of Mary,” says the Forerunner, “I know You, the Eternal God.” And then the Lord says to John:

“Prophet, come to baptize Me, who created you, and enlightens with grace and cleanses everyone. Touch My Divine top (head) and do not doubt. Leave everything else now, for I have come to fulfill all righteousness.”

Having been baptized by John, Christ fulfilled “righteousness”, i.e. fidelity and obedience to the commandments of God. Saint John the Baptist received the command from God to baptize the people as a sign of the cleansing of sins. As a man, Christ had to "fulfill" this commandment and therefore be baptized by John. By this He confirmed the holiness and greatness of John’s actions, and gave Christians an example of obedience to the will of God and humility for eternity. The prophecy of St. is widely used in the hymns. The Psalmist (ps. 113) that the Jordan will stop its flow “from the face of the Lord.” “Today the psalm prophecy of the end of acceptance (to be fulfilled) is in a hurry: the sea, speaking, seeing and running, the Jordan returned back, from the Face of the Lord, from the Face of the God of Jacob, who came from the servant to receive Baptism.”

“The Jordan, seeing the Lord being baptized, divides and stops its flow,” says the 1st stichera for the consecration of water. “Turn the Jordan River back, not daring to serve You. For he was ashamed of Joshua, because he would be afraid of his Creator without his name.” The Church, through the mouth of the creators of the stichera, invites believers to be transported in thought and heart to that great event of the Epiphany, which once took place on the Jordan River, in order to give thanks for the “inexpressible compassion” of Christ, in the “slave’s eye” who came into the world to save the human race.

In the pre-holiday and holiday services, the Church did not forget the great servant of Christ and participant in the event - “Forerunner and Baptist, and Prophet, and most venerable is the prophet (of the prophets)” - John. Finishing the pre-festive singing and beginning to glorify the great event of the holiday itself, the Church turns to John the Baptist and asks him to raise his hands in prayer to the One whose most pure head he touched with these hands on the Jordan; The Church asks the Baptist to come and be present with us with his spirit, to stand with us, “seal the singing and begin the celebration.”

Forefeast

Since ancient times, Epiphany has been one of the great twelve holidays. Even in the Apostolic Constitutions (Book 5, Chapter 12) it is commanded: “Let you have great respect for the day on which the Lord revealed the Divinity to us.” This holiday in Orthodox Church celebrated with equal grandeur as the feast of the Nativity of Christ. Both of these holidays, connected by “Christmastide” (from December 25 to January 6), constitute, as it were, one celebration. Almost immediately after the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (from January 2), the Church begins to prepare us for the solemn feast of the Epiphany of the Lord with stichera and troparions (at Vespers), three songs (at Compline) and canons (at Matins) specially dedicated to the upcoming holiday, and church hymns in The honor of the Epiphany has been heard since January 1: at Matins of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, the irmos of the canons of the Epiphany are sung on the catavasia: “He has opened the depths, there is a bottom...” and “A stormy storm is moving in the sea...”. With its sacred memories, following from Bethlehem to the Jordan and commemorating the events of Baptism, the Church in the pre-festive stichera calls on the faithful:

“We will go from Bethlehem to the Jordan, for there the Light is already beginning to illuminate those who are in darkness.” The coming Saturday and Sunday before Epiphany are called Saturday and the Week before Epiphany (or Enlightenment).

Eve of Epiphany

On the Eve of Epiphany (as well as on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ), the Church prescribes strict fasting: eating food once after the blessing of water. If the Vespers occur on Saturday and Sunday, the fast is made easier: instead of once, eating food is allowed twice - after the liturgy and after the blessing of water. If the reading of the Great Hours from the Vespers, which happened on Saturday or Sunday, is postponed to Friday, then there is no fasting on that Friday.

Features of the service on the Eve of the holiday

On all weekdays (except Saturday and Sunday), the service of the Vesper of Epiphany consists of the Great Hours, Fine Hours and Vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great; After the liturgy (after the prayer behind the pulpit), the water is blessed. If Christmas Eve happens on Saturday or Sunday, then the Great Hours take place on Friday, and there is no liturgy on that Friday; the liturgy of St. Basil the Great is moved to the day of the holiday. On the very day of Christmas Eve, the liturgy of St. St. John Chrysostom occurs in due time, followed by Vespers and after it the Blessing of Water.

Great clocks and their contents

The troparia point to the division of the waters of the Jordan by Elisha with the mantle of the prophet Elijah as a prototype of the true Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, by which the watery nature was sanctified and during which the Jordan stopped its natural flow. The last troparion describes the trembling feeling of Saint John the Baptist when the Lord came to him to be baptized. In the parimia of the 1st hour, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, the Church proclaims the spiritual renewal of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Is. 25).

The Apostle and the Gospel proclaim the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, who testified to the eternal and Divine greatness of Christ (Acts 13:25-32; Matt. 3:1-11). At the 3rd hour, in special psalms - 28 and 41 - the prophet depicts the power and authority of the baptized Lord over water and all the elements of the world: “The voice of the Lord is on the waters: the God of glory will roar, the Lord on many waters. The voice of the Lord in the fortress; The voice of the Lord is in splendor...” These psalms are also joined by the usual 50th psalm. The troparia of the hour reveal the experiences of John the Baptist - awe and fear at the Baptism of the Lord - and the revelation in this great event of the mystery of the Trinity of the Divinity. In parimia we hear the voice of the prophet Isaiah, foreshadowing spiritual rebirth through baptism and Calling for the acceptance of this sacrament: “Wash yourself, and you will be clean” (Is. 1: 16-20).

The Apostle talks about the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:1-8), and the Gospel talks about the Forerunner who prepared the way for the Lord (Mark 1:1-3). At the 6th hour, in Psalms 73 and 76, King David prophetically depicts the Divine greatness and omnipotence of the One who came to be baptized in the form of a servant: “Who is a great god like our God? You are God, work miracles. You saw the waters, O God, and you were afraid: the abyss was crushed.”

The usual 90th psalm of the hour is also added. The troparia contain the Lord’s answer to the Baptist to his bewilderment about Christ’s self-abasement and indicate the fulfillment of the Psalmist’s prophecy that the Jordan River stops its waters when the Lord enters it for Baptism. The parimia talks about how the prophet Isaiah contemplates the grace of salvation in the waters of baptism and calls on believers to assimilate it: “Draw up water with joy from the source of fear” (Is. 12).

The Apostle encourages those baptized into Christ Jesus to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-12). The Gospel preaches about the appearance of the Holy Trinity at the Baptism of the Savior, about His forty-day labor in the wilderness and the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel (Mark 1:9-15). At the 9th hour, in Psalms 92 and 113, the prophet proclaims the royal greatness and omnipotence of the baptized Lord. The third psalm of the hour is the usual 85th. With the words of parimia, the prophet Isaiah depicts the inexpressible mercy of God towards people and the gracious help for them revealed in Baptism (Is. 49: 8-15). The Apostle announces the manifestation of the grace of God, “saving for all men,” and the abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit on believers (Tit. 2, 11-14; 3, 4-7). The Gospel tells about the Baptism of the Savior and the Epiphany (Matthew 3:13-17).

Vespers on the day of the Vespers of the holiday

After the first three paremias to the troparion and verses of prophecy, the singers chorus: “May you enlighten those who sit in darkness: Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.” After the sixth parimia there is a chorus to the troparion and verses: “Where would Your light shine, except on those who sit in darkness, glory to You.”

If on the Eve of Epiphany Vespers is combined with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday), then after the reading of the proverbs there follows a small litany with the exclamation: “For art thou holy, our God...”, then the Trisagion and other sequences of the liturgy are sung. At Vespers, performed separately after the liturgy (on Saturday and Sunday), after the parimia, the small litany and the exclamation: “For thou art holy...” followed by the prokeimenon: “The Lord is my enlightenment...”, Apostle (Cor., part 143) and the Gospel (Luke, 9th).

After this - the litany “Rtsem all...” and so on. The Great Blessing of Water The Church renews the memory of the Jordanian event with a special rite of the Great Blessing of Water. On the Eve of the holiday, the great consecration of water occurs after the prayer behind the pulpit (if the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is being celebrated). And if Vespers is celebrated separately, without connection with the liturgy, the consecration of the water occurs at the end of Vespers, after the exclamation: “Be the power...”. The priest, through the royal doors, while singing the troparia “The Voice of the Lord on the Waters...” comes out to the vessels filled with water, carrying the Honorable Cross on his head, and the consecration of the water begins.

Blessing of water

The Orthodox Church has been performing the great consecration of water on Vespers and on the holiday itself since ancient times, and the grace of consecrating water on these two days is always the same. At the Forever, the consecration of water was performed in remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord, which sanctified the watery nature, as well as the baptism of the orphans, which in ancient times was performed at the Forever of Epiphany (Lent. Apost., book 5, chapter 13; historians: Theodoret, Nicephorus Callistus). On the holiday itself, the consecration of water occurs in memory of the actual event of the Baptism of the Savior. The blessing of water on the holiday itself began in the Jerusalem Church in the 4th - 4th centuries. took place only in it alone, where there was a custom of going out to the Jordan River for the blessing of water in memory of the Baptism of the Savior. Therefore, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the blessing of water on Vecherie is performed in churches, and on the holiday itself it is usually performed on rivers, springs and wells (the so-called “Walk to the Jordan”), for Christ was baptized outside the temple.

The great consecration of water began in the early times of Christianity, following the example of the Lord Himself, who sanctified the waters by His immersion in them and established the sacrament of Baptism, in which the consecration of water has been taking place since ancient times. The rite of blessing of water is attributed to the Evangelist Matthew. Several prayers for this rite were written by St. Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople. The final execution of the rite is attributed to St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. The blessing of water on the holiday is already mentioned by the teacher of the Church Tertullian and St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Apostolic Decrees also contain prayers said during the blessing of water. So, in the book. The 8th says: “The priest will call on the Lord and say: “And now sanctify this water, and give it grace and strength.”

St. Basil the Great writes: “According to what scripture do we bless the water of baptism? - From Apostolic tradition, by succession in secret" (91st canon).

In the second half of the 10th century, Patriarch Peter Foulon of Antioch introduced the custom of consecrating water not at midnight, but on the Eve of Epiphany. In the Russian Church, the Moscow Council of 1667 decided to perform double blessing of water - on Vespers and on the very feast of Epiphany and condemned Patriarch Nikon, who prohibited double blessing of water. The sequence of the great consecration of water both at Vespers and on the holiday itself is the same and in some parts has similarities with the sequence of the small consecration of water. It consists of remembering the prophecies relating to the event of Baptism (parimia), the event itself (the Apostle and the Gospel) and its meaning (litany and prayers), invoking the blessing of God on the waters and immersing the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in them three times.

In practice, the rite of water blessing is performed as follows. After the prayer behind the pulpit (at the end of the liturgy) or the litany of petition: “Let us fulfill evening prayer"(at the end of Vespers) the rector is in full vestments (as during the liturgy), and the other priests are only in epitrachelion, vestments, and the rector is carrying the Honorable Cross on an uncovered head (usually the Cross is placed in the air). At the site of the blessing of water, the Cross is placed on a decorated table, on which there should be a bowl of water and three candles. During the singing of troparions, the rector and the deacon cense the water prepared for consecration (around the table three times), and if the water is consecrated in the church, then the altar, clergy, singers and people also cense.

At the end of the singing of the troparia, the deacon proclaims: “Wisdom,” and three parimia are read (from the book of the prophet Isaiah), which depict the blessed fruits of the Lord’s coming to earth and the spiritual joy of all who turn to the Lord and partake of life-giving springs salvation. Then the prokeimenon “The Lord is my enlightenment...” is sung, the Apostle and the Gospel are read. The Apostolic Reading (Cor., section 143) speaks of persons and events that in the Old Testament, during the wanderings of the Jews in the desert, were a prototype of Christ the Savior (the mysterious baptism of the Jews into Moses among the clouds and the sea, their spiritual food in desert and drinking from the spiritual stone, which was Christ). The Gospel (Mark, part 2) tells about the Baptism of the Lord.

After reading Holy Scripture the deacon pronounces the great litany with special petitions. They contain prayers for the sanctification of water by the power and action of the Holy Trinity, for sending down the blessing of the Jordan on the water and giving it grace for the healing of mental and physical infirmities, for driving away all slander of visible and invisible enemies, for the sanctification of houses and for all benefits.

During the litany, the rector secretly reads a prayer for the purification and sanctification of himself: “Lord Jesus Christ...” (without exclamation). At the end of the litany, the priest (rector) loudly reads the consecration prayer: “Great art thou, O Lord, and wonderful are thy works...” (three times) and so on. In this prayer, the Church begs the Lord to come and sanctify the water so that it will receive the grace of deliverance, the blessing of the Jordan, so that it will be a source of incorruption, the resolution of ailments, the cleansing of souls and bodies, the sanctification of houses and “a good deal of all good.” In the middle of the prayer, the priest exclaims three times: “You Yourself, O Lover of Mankind, come now by the influx of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water,” and at the same time each time he blesses the water with his hand, but does not immerse his fingers in the water, as happens in the sacrament of Baptism. At the end of the prayer, the abbot immediately blesses the water crosswise with the Honorable Cross, holding it with both hands and immersing it three times straight (lowering it into the water and raising it), and with each immersion of the Cross he sings the troparion with the clergy (three times): “I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord...”.

After this, while the troparion is sung repeatedly by the singers, the abbot with the Cross in his left hand sprinkles a cross in all directions, and also sprinkles the temple with holy water. Glorification of the holiday

On Vecherye, after the dismissal of Vespers or Liturgy, a lamp (not a lectern with an icon) is placed in the middle of the church, before which the clergy and choristers sing the troparion and (on “Glory, and now”) the kontakion of the holiday. The candle here means the light of Christ’s teaching, Divine enlightenment given at the Epiphany.

After this, the worshipers venerate the Cross, and the priest sprinkles each with holy water.

Great Agiasma

Epiphany holy water is called in the Orthodox Church the great Agiasma - the great Shrine. Since ancient times, Christians have had great reverence for blessed water. At the litany of the great consecration of water, the Church prays:

“On the hedgehog being sanctified by these waters, and given them the grace of deliverance (salvation), the blessing of Jordan, by the power and action and influx of the Holy Spirit...” “On the hedgehog being of this water, the gift of sanctification, the remission of sins, for the healing of the soul and body of those who draw and receive , for the consecration of houses..., and for every good benefit (strong)...".

In these petitions and in the priest’s prayer for the consecration of water, the Church testifies to the manifold actions of God’s grace given to all who with faith “draw and partake” of this Shrine.

The holiness of water is obvious to everyone and is manifested in the fact that it long time kept fresh and undamaged. Back in the 4th century, St. spoke about this in the 37th conversation at the Epiphany of the Lord. John Chrysostom: “Christ was baptized and sanctified the nature of the waters; and therefore, on the feast of Epiphany, everyone, having drawn water at midnight, brings it home and keeps it all year round. And so the water in its essence does not deteriorate from the continuation of time, drawn now for a whole year, and often two and three years, remains fresh and undamaged, and after such a long time is not inferior to the waters just drawn from the source.”

The Russian Orthodox Church and the people have developed such an attitude towards Epiphany water that it is taken only on an empty stomach as a great Shrine, i.e. like antidor, prosphora, etc.

The Church uses this Shrine for sprinkling temples and dwellings, during incantatory prayers to expel an evil spirit, as healing; prescribes it to drink for those who cannot be admitted to Holy Communion. With this water and the Cross, the clergy on the feast of Epiphany visited the homes of their parishioners, sprinkling them and their homes and, thus, spreading blessing and sanctification, starting from the temple of God, to all the children of the Church of Christ.

As a sign special veneration Epiphany water as a precious great shrine on Epiphany Eve and a strict fast was established, when either no food was eaten at all before Epiphany water, or a small amount of food was allowed. However, with due reverence, with sign of the cross and through prayer one can drink holy water without any embarrassment or doubt, even to those who have already tasted something, and at any time as needed. The Church in its liturgical Charter (see: Typikon, January 6) gives clear and definite instructions and explanation on this matter: those who excommunicate themselves from holy water for the sake of eating food prematurely “do not do good.” “It is not from eating for the sake of eating (food) that there is impurity in us, but from our bad deeds; cleanse this holy water from these stumps without a doubt.”

All-night vigil of the holiday

The All-Night Vigil on the Feast of Epiphany (as well as on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ), no matter what day of the week it occurs, begins with Great Compline, because on this day Great Vespers is celebrated first, especially. The rite of Great Compline is the same as at the Nativity of Christ: Great Compline ends with litia and moves on to Matins. Troparion “In the Jordan I am baptized to You, O Lord, Trinitarian adoration appears: for the voice of the Parents testified to You, naming Your beloved Son, and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, announced your words of affirmation. Appear, O Christ our God and enlighten the world, glory to Thee.” Kontakion: “Today you have appeared throughout the universe, and Your light, O Lord, is shining upon us, in the mind of those who sing of You; You came and you appeared, the Unapproachable Light.”

At Matins, according to the polyeleos - magnification:

“We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now baptized in the flesh by John in the waters of the Jordan.”

There are two canons: St. Cosmas of Maiumsky - “I opened the depths, there is a bottom...” and St. John of Damascus - “A turbulent storm is moving along the sea...”. I won’t sing “The Most Honest” for the 9th song. Deacon with censer in front of a local icon Mother of God sings the first chorus: “Glorify, my soul, the Most Honorable of the hosts of the mountains, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.”

The choir sings the irmos: “Every tongue is perplexed to praise according to its inheritance, but the mind and the worldly praise of Thee, Mother of God, are astounded, and the Good Being, accept faith, for our love is Divine; You are the Representative of Christians, we magnify You.” (In Russian translation: “No (human) language is able to praise You according to your worth, and even the heavenly (angelic) mind is perplexed how to sing of You, Mother of God: but You, as good as you are, accept faith, and You know our Divine love: for You are the Representative of Christians, we magnify You."

This irmos with the indicated first chorus of the 9th canto is a tribute at the liturgy (up to and including the celebration of the holiday).

The rest of the troparions of both the first and second canons of the 9th canto have their own choruses sung.

Liturgy

On the day of Epiphany, as well as on the day of the Nativity of Christ, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom if the feast of Epiphany occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on the day of the holiday occurs when it coincides with Sunday or Monday (since on the eve of these days - on Saturday or Sunday, that is, on the Eve of the holiday, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was performed at one time).

At the liturgy: antiphons of the holiday. Entrance: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; blessed are you from the house of the Lord, O God the Lord, and He has appeared to us.” Instead of the Trisagion, “The Elites were baptized into Christ…” is sung - as a reminder to the newly enlightened, that is, those who were baptized in ancient times on the Eve of the holiday, that they “have put on Christ.”

Epiphany or Epiphany is one of the most important twelve holidays of Orthodoxy. Read all about the history of this event in the article!

Epiphany, or Epiphany - January 19, 2019

What kind of holiday is this?

Forefeast of Epiphany

Since ancient times, Epiphany has been one of the great twelve holidays. Even in the Apostolic Constitutions (Book 5, Chapter 12) it is commanded: “Let you have great respect for the day on which the Lord revealed the Divinity to us.” This holiday in the Orthodox Church is celebrated with equal grandeur as the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Both of these holidays, connected by “Christmastide” (from December 25 to January 6), constitute, as it were, one celebration. Almost immediately after the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (from January 2), the Church begins to prepare us for the solemn feast of the Epiphany of the Lord with stichera and troparions (at Vespers), three songs (at Compline) and canons (at Matins) specially dedicated to the upcoming holiday, and church hymns in The honor of the Epiphany has been heard since January 1: at Matins of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, the irmos of the canons of the Epiphany are sung on the catavasia: “He has opened the depths, there is a bottom...” and “A stormy storm is moving in the sea...”. With its sacred memories, following from Bethlehem to the Jordan and commemorating the events of Baptism, the Church in the pre-festive stichera calls on the faithful:
“We will go from Bethlehem to the Jordan, for there the Light is already beginning to illuminate those who are in darkness.” The coming Saturday and Sunday before Epiphany are called Saturday and the Week before Epiphany (or Enlightenment).

Eve of Epiphany

The eve of the holiday - January 5 - is called the Eve of Epiphany, or Christmas Eve. The services of the Vigil and the holiday itself are in many ways similar to the service of the Vigil and the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.

On the Eve of Epiphany, January 5 (as well as on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ), the Church prescribes strict fasting: eating food once after the blessing of water. If the Vespers happen on Saturday and Sunday, the fast is made easier: instead of once, eating food is allowed twice - after the liturgy and after the blessing of water. If the reading of the Great Hours from the Vespers, which happened on Saturday or Sunday, is postponed to Friday, then there is no fasting on that Friday.

Features of the service on the Eve of the holiday

The Great Hours of the Epiphany and their contents

Vespers on the day of the Vespers of the holiday

Vespers on the Vespers of the Feast of the Epiphany is similar to what happens on the Vespers of the Nativity of Christ: entrance with the Gospel, reading of parimia, Apostle, Gospel, etc., but the parimia at Vespers of the Epiphany Vigil is read not on 8, but on 13.
After the first three paremias to the troparion and verses of prophecy, the singers chorus: “May you enlighten those who sit in darkness: Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.” After the 6th parimia there is a chorus to the troparion and verses: “Where would Your light shine, except on those who sit in darkness, glory to You.”
If on the Eve of Epiphany Vespers is combined with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday), then after the reading of the proverbs there follows a small litany with the exclamation: “For art thou holy, our God...”, then the Trisagion and other sequences of the liturgy are sung. At Vespers, performed separately after the liturgy (on Saturday and Sunday), the parimia, the small litany and the exclamation: “For you are holy...” are followed by the prokeimenon: “The Lord is my enlightenment...”, Apostle (Cor., part 143) and the Gospel (Luke, 9th).
After this - the litany “Rtsem all...” and so on.

Great Blessing of Water

The Church renews the memory of the Jordan event with a special rite of the great consecration of water. On the Eve of the holiday, the great consecration of water occurs after the prayer behind the pulpit (if the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is being celebrated). And if Vespers is celebrated separately, without connection with the liturgy, the consecration of the water occurs at the end of Vespers, after the exclamation: “Be the power...”. The priest, through the royal doors, while singing the troparia “The Voice of the Lord on the Waters...” comes out to the vessels filled with water, carrying the Honorable Cross on his head, and the consecration of the water begins.

The blessing of water is also performed on the holiday itself after the liturgy (also after the prayer behind the pulpit).

The Orthodox Church has been performing the great consecration of water on Vespers and on the holiday itself since ancient times, and the grace of consecrating water on these two days is always the same. At the Forever, the consecration of water was performed in remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord, which sanctified the watery nature, as well as the baptism of the orphans, which in ancient times was performed at the Forever of Epiphany (Lent. Apost., book 5, chapter 13; historians: Theodoret, Nicephorus Callistus). On the holiday itself, the consecration of water occurs in memory of the actual event of the Baptism of the Savior. The blessing of water on the holiday itself began in the Jerusalem Church in the 4th - 5th centuries. took place only in it alone, where there was a custom of going out to the Jordan River for the blessing of water in memory of the Baptism of the Savior. Therefore, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the blessing of water on Vecherie is performed in churches, and on the holiday itself it is usually performed on rivers, springs and wells (the so-called “Walk to the Jordan”), for Christ was baptized outside the temple.

St. Basil the Great writes: “According to what scripture do we bless the water of baptism? - From Apostolic tradition, by succession in secret" (91st canon).

In the second half of the 10th century, Patriarch of Antioch Peter Foulon introduced the custom of consecrating water not at midnight, but on the Eve of Epiphany. In the Russian Church, the Moscow Council of 1667 decided to perform double blessing of water - on Vespers and on the very feast of Epiphany and condemned Patriarch Nikon, who prohibited double blessing of water. The sequence of the great consecration of water both at Vespers and on the holiday itself is the same and in some parts has similarities with the sequence of the small consecration of water. It consists of remembering the prophecies relating to the event of Baptism (parimia), the event itself (the Apostle and the Gospel) and its meaning (litany and prayers), invoking the blessing of God on the waters and immersing the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in them three times.

In practice, the rite of water blessing is performed as follows. After the prayer behind the pulpit (at the end of the liturgy) or the petitionary litany: “Let us perform the evening prayer” (at the end of Vespers), the rector is in full vestments (as during the liturgy), and the other priests are only in the epitrachelion, shoulder straps, and the rector is carrying the Holy Cross on an uncovered chapter (usually the Cross is placed in the air). At the site of the blessing of water, the Cross is placed on a decorated table, on which there should be a bowl of water and three candles. During the singing of troparions, the rector and the deacon cense the water prepared for consecration (around the table three times), and if the water is consecrated in the church, then the altar, clergy, singers and people also cense.

At the end of the singing of the troparions, the deacon exclaims: “Wisdom,” and three parimia are read (from the book of the prophet Isaiah), which depict the gracious fruits of the Lord’s coming to earth and the spiritual joy of all who turn to the Lord and partake of the life-giving sources of salvation. Then the prokeimenon “The Lord is my enlightenment...” is sung, the Apostle and the Gospel are read. The Apostolic Reading (Cor., section 143) speaks of persons and events that in the Old Testament, during the wanderings of the Jews in the desert, were a prototype of Christ the Savior (the mysterious baptism of the Jews into Moses among the clouds and the sea, their spiritual food in desert and drinking from the spiritual stone, which was Christ). The Gospel (Mark, part 2) tells about the Baptism of the Lord.

After reading the Holy Scriptures, the deacon pronounces the great litany with special petitions. They contain prayers for the sanctification of water by the power and action of the Holy Trinity, for sending down the blessing of the Jordan on the water and giving it grace for the healing of mental and physical infirmities, for driving away all slander of visible and invisible enemies, for the sanctification of houses and for all benefits.

After this, while the troparion is sung repeatedly by the singers, the abbot with the Cross in his left hand sprinkles a cross in all directions, and also sprinkles the temple with holy water.

Glorification of the holiday

After this, the worshipers venerate the Cross, and the priest sprinkles each with holy water.