Russia (bbabo.net), - Bathing in the hole on the feast of the Epiphany is an old folk tradition, "but without regular visits to the temple and participation in divine services, it loses all meaning from the point of view of spiritual life." This was stated in an interview with RIA Novosti by the chairman of the information commission of the Moscow city diocese, priest Alexander Volkov.
He said that the tradition of Epiphany bathing was established on the Jordan River in the Holy Land, where the Savior Jesus Christ was baptized. Nevertheless, Alexander Volkov notes, this tradition “does not replace either participation in divine services and the sacraments, or the acquisitive spiritual life of a person associated with repentance and correcting one’s actions. But we have people who believe that, having bathed once a year, in the font, they can continue to live a normal life ... This is a rather sad thing, and we are trying to fix it: if you are already immersed in baptismal water, then you need to come to the temple. winter swimming, which has nothing to do with the traditions of Orthodoxy and spiritual life," the clergyman concluded.
Help
Orthodox Christians celebrate the Day of the Baptism of the Lord on January 19th. Along with Easter, this is one of the most ancient and significant Christian holidays. In Russia, it is accompanied by mass bathing in ice water in specially cut and consecrated ice holes.
bbabo.Net