Orthodox Epiphany

is celebrated on January 19th. Western Christians commemorate the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus on Epiphany, however Eastern Christians commemorate Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River on Epiphany which is also called Theophany.  An important aspect of the day is the Blessing of the Waters, which takes place in the church but also at outdoor bodies of water.  Theophany is a traditional day for baptisms and for house blessings. The outdoor blessing of the water takes place all over the world where there are Eastern Orthodox believers.  But, in cold places the outdoor water is often frozen as it is in Russia.  At many locations a cross is cut in the ice and the water blessed by the Priest, devout believers and others, often emboldened by alcohol, will dip themselves into the water, often three times.  It is not required, it is more of a tradition like dyeing eggs at Easter and eating pancakes at Maslenitsa.  To ensure safety and encourage the celebrants to follow the law, there are now approved places for winter bathing in various parks throughout Moscow.  They are guarded and fenced.  I read the list of places and times and we chose to visit the site at Sokolniki Park, however, most likely due to my inability to read Russian we missed the event.  There was one young man, clad only in his swimsuit, covering himself with snow.  Talking later to a friend who had visited the evening before this was a popular spot.  Next year, we'll try again.  The temperatures this afternoon hovered around -20 degrees C (-4 degrees F).