Bathing on Epiphany: canon, tradition or fashion?

Epiphany bathing. In our city, they annually collect more and more people, especially young people. Baptisms are waiting just like the New Year holidays. Prepare for it in advance, prepare food, drink. There are often cases when ablution in the ice-hole continues with an exit for autopathy. For the majority of modern youth bathing at Epiphany became something middle between feat, extreme entertainment, folk tradition. A tradition based not on faith, but on fashion.

There are, of course, some believing people taking part in this ritual. But after our conversations with them, we concluded that most blindly repeats the actions of others, being in full confidence 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 the baptism of Christ by the Jordanian waters took place. In imitation of this event, believers are immersed in the hole, believing that they will wash away all their sins. But this is absolutely not so.

Father explained that Baptism is a holiday in which folk customs with religious beliefs intertwined. The priest is sure that the true believers should spend the whole day in the Temple. Listen to the liturgy, confess, receive communion, and be cleansed from sins. Only this can save the sinner from the bad end, and not at all bathing in Baptism.

By the way, doctors, rescuers, churchmen note with regret: the belief that it is impossible to catch a cold in the Epiphany is completely groundless. It is worth to look at the statistics of diseases or accidents, in order to make sure of this. Faith does not save from a cold, because God did not require that bathing at Epiphany in the ice-hole was mandatory. This is not a canonical mouth. It's just a folk tradition.

The custom came to us from Greece. Do you remember what kind of climate in this country? There from the 18th to the 19th of January there is neither frost nor frozen reservoirs. Therefore bathing on Baptism is not harmful there. And in Russia, from ancient times, the Jordan was cut in the ice.

Why do priests take part in bathing at Baptism? Bathing in the ice hole, in their opinion, means familiarizing with the grace that the Lord sent to the "nature" of all waters. But on the other hand, the archpriest Mikhail Dudko, secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate on the relationship between the Church and society, comments on the protoiree, since it is very difficult psychologically to plunge headlong into icy water, the act is a sacrifice to God.

I do not intend to understand the subtleties of scripture or philosophical interpretations. My goal is to protect all believers and unbelievers from the grave consequences that may come after the bathing at Epiphany is over.

I propose several rules, adhering to which people can protect their health.

1. Make sure the doctor that you do not suffer from diseases that are incompatible with winter swimming. This will save you from seizures, heart attacks, rheumatism, severe colds, inflammations, other misfortunes.
2. Take care of the correctly arranged font. It should not be deeper than 180 cm, with non-slip steps, railings. Nearby necessarily there should be a warm locker room, hot tea, dry clothes. And no alcohol.
3. Think about clothes. Swimsuits exposing the body - disrespect for religion. Therefore, many sew long, like a christening shirt. But rubber slippers with a non-slip sole are an accessory.
4. Enter the hole slowly, carefully. A sharp dip in the icy water can cause seizures, a heart attack, shock, etc. It is accepted to dip three times with your head. But if you are prone to spasms, you should not do it.
5. Beware of euphoria! Usually, in response to stress from icy water, a person falls into ecstasy. It seems to him that he can spend another 5 minutes in the hole. However, this is the direct route to the hospital.
6. Be sure to dry, keep warm after bathing. Best of all - in a warm room.

I believe that you can get rid of your sins, prove your piety or have extreme fun in more secure ways. However, everyone chooses how to act. Therefore, I can just wish health to everyone who is going to swim in the ice hole on the night of January 18-19.