The Baptism of the Lord (Holy Theophany) is one of the largest twelfth holidays that Christians will celebrate in 2024. It is dedicated to the memories of the events that took place in the Jordan River - the baptism of the Son of God by John the Baptist. Interesting traditions and customs, signs and beliefs have always been associated with this day. Many of them have survived from the time of Rus' to the present.
Date of Epiphany in 2024
When the Epiphany holiday will come in 2024, it is impossible to say for sure. Different Christian denominations and churches will have different dates.So, in the Roman Catholic Church, this is the first Sunday after January 6, in 2024 - the 7th. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, Epiphany is combined with the celebration of the Nativity of Christ and has a common name - Epiphany. It falls annually on January 6th. A similar story with the ancient Eastern - Coptic Church, its parishioners celebrate a double holiday on the 7th. In the Russian Orthodox Church, as in the Catholic Church, Christmas and Epiphany are different celebrations, both dates remain unchanged - January 6 and 19.
The origin of the holiday and customs
Historical events took place on the Jordan River, in the vicinity of which John the Baptist (John the Baptist) preached. He predicted the imminent coming of the Messiah and urged everyone to prepare for this: to repent and purify the soul. The transition to the "new life" was accompanied by immersion in a pond. He baptized Jesus after he turned 30. During the sacrament, the Holy Trinity appeared.The Holy Spirit descended on the Savior in the form of a white dove. At the same time, a heavenly voice said, “You are my beloved Son, my blessing is in you!”.
At the time of Jesus Christ, only adults were baptized, an important condition was the adoption of religion and faith in God. The ritual took place without kuma and kuma, as is customary now.
On Epiphany believers attend church. There is a festive service. On the night of the 19th, the all-night vigil begins, turning into the morning liturgy. Epiphany water is called Holy. It does not deteriorate throughout the year. If it is not possible to bring it from the temple, they collect it in any reservoir. It is believed that all the water on this day has miraculous properties. On the 19th, they sprinkle it on a house (inside and outside), a personal plot. In some cases, fathers do this. Such actions provide protection from evil forces. The apogee of the holiday is a family feast. Due to the lack of fasting, there are various goodies on the table that day.
Rites and prohibitions
The Church has always had a negative attitude towards the celebration of Christmas time, during which the people, wondering, turned to evil spirits. These traditions came from pagan times and were ineradicable. Then the representatives of the clergy decided to compromise and came up with a bathing ritual. To perform it, an ice hole is made in natural reservoirs, the water in which is consecrated by the priest. It is believed that three times immersion in it relieves sins. In recent years, this has been resorted to for the purpose of hardening. The period when Epiphany bathing takes place starts at midnight from the 18th to the 19th and lasts until noon on the 19th.
On this day, you should not be greedy and stock up on Holy water in huge volumes. You can not scandal, lie, complain about anything, discuss others, think about the bad, overeat. Under the ban is physical and mental labor. For a haircut and manicure, it is better to choose a different time so as not to confuse fate.It is not recommended to borrow money, otherwise the next year will be fraught with financial difficulties.
Can children be baptized
There is no ban. For an individual or group ceremony on January 19, it is recommended to register in advance. There are a lot of applicants for this day, but because of the huge workload, they often refuse. In this case, the parents are given a calendar and offered to choose other, more appropriate dates. The opinions of believers are divided on another issue. Some believe that children born on a holiday do not need to be baptized, while others argue the opposite. In this case, representatives of the clergy say this: the birth of a child on January 19 does not make him baptized, so the ritual is necessary.
Signs
There are many signs associated with the holiday, among them the following can be distinguished:
- Severe frosts and clear skies - for a hot summer, a rich autumn harvest.
- Shooting star - to the fulfillment of a wish.
- Crying is trouble.
- Meeting a person with a flower is a pleasant surprise.
- Plus temperature and lack of ice in water bodies - to global changes.
- Wash with snow - keep beauty until old age.
- Full moon - to a rainy spring.
- Taking crumbs out of the house - to poverty.
- Cut yourself - to a series of failures.
- Snowless weather - to a meager harvest.
- Bad words about water - to grief.
- Dogs bark a lot - to a successful hunt.
- Starry sky - to a lot of mushrooms in autumn.
- Snowstorm - to a good harvest of wheat.
- Before entering the house, leave shoes outside the threshold - to diseases.
In the old days it was customary to marry. It was believed that this increases the chances of a strong, happy and long marriage. Unmarried girls, going out into the street, paid attention to the first comer. An elderly man foreshadowed another year of loneliness, and a young man - an early acquaintance or wedding.
B, Epiphany in January 2024 will traditionally complete the cycle of winter holidays. The next day after it, the housewives will remove the Christmas trees and New Year's toys. The hay that was put under the tablecloth at Christmas will be given to livestock. Those who celebrated the church holiday in accordance with the rules and recommendations throughout the year will observe how fate favors them.
