“On January 6, the Orthodox Church celebrates the great twelfth holiday – the Baptism of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, or Epiphany. It is dedicated to the moment when the Savior was baptized by John the Forerunner in the waters of the Jordan, revealing the Holy Trinity to the world. On this day, believers pray and observe ancient religious traditions, sanctify water and commemorate a holy event. Religious holidays and”, — write on: ua.news
On January 6, the Orthodox Church celebrates the great twelfth holiday – the Baptism of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, or Epiphany. It is dedicated to the moment when the Savior was baptized by John the Forerunner in the waters of the Jordan, revealing the Holy Trinity to the world. On this day, believers pray and observe ancient religious traditions, sanctify water and commemorate a holy event.
Religious holidays and their history
Baptism of the Lord (Theophany)
On January 6, believers celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. According to the Gospel, when Jesus Christ reached the age of 30, He came to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist preached. During Christ’s immersion in water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father sounded from heaven: “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” That is why the holiday is also called Epiphany. This event has a powerful spiritual meaning: Christ, being sinless, sanctified the water element with Himself and opened the way to salvation for people through the sacrament of Baptism. The main feature of the day is the Great Consecration of water, which is considered healing and is called “Great Agiasma”.
Prayers of the day
When You, Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, Triune worship appeared: because the voice of the Father testified about You, calling You the Beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of the word. You appeared, Christ God, and the world became enlightened, glory be to You! May Your grace through holy water grant us powerful protection, physical health, and mental peace.
Amen
Folk beliefs and omens
Our ancestors believed that signs on the Epiphany have special power and indicate the future harvest:
- If the weather is clear and frosty on Baptism, the summer may be dry.
- A lot of frost on the trees promises a powerful harvest of grain crops.
- If it snows during the consecration of water, this portends a good brood of bees and a lot of honey.
- Severe Christening frosts promise that spring will be early and warm.
- The starry night on January 6 heralds a harvest year for berries, nuts and peas.
This day is traditionally considered a time of great renewal, so people tried to spend it in peace, avoiding quarrels and bad thoughts.
Traditions of Epiphany: what can and cannot be done.
On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, the Kyiv Metro will change the mode of operation of the Hydropark station due to the Epiphany celebration according to the New Julian calendar.
We will remind you that on January 6, 2024, the British ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris, joined the people of Kyiv and together with them dived into the Dnipro at Vodokhreshcha.
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