Theophany (Jesus's baptizm in Jordan) feast in
Bulgarian Orthodox Church on 6th of January
On 6th of January in our
Bulgarian Orthodox Church just like
in the most Christian realm, we celebrate the great feast of
Theophany / Epiphany (Baptizm of our Saviour Jesus Christ in
Jordan).
What exactly we celebrate is the Baptizm of our Saviour
Jesus
Christ in Jordan by st. John the Baptist (John the Forerunner
as we call him in the church). This day is very important for us as
Christians and this is why the holy fathers in the church has
ordered this feast to be among the 12 most important feasts in our
Church, the so called (Lords feasts).
On Theophany's day it is a rule in orthodox Church that the
Great Blessing of Water is performed. The Blessing of the
water and the preceding holy water from the priests blessing is
taken by Church layman and we bring a little of this water to our
homes to bless through that our homes.
In our Church belief the
Holy Water from the
Theophany feast is considered the most powerful in spiritual
sense holy water as this water is the same water with which our
sinless Saviour and lamb (Son) of God Jesus Christ was baptized in
Jordan.
The reason why we call the feast
Theophany is because God in
his essence of
Holy Trinity appeared clearly to mankind for
a first time in Human history. Our Holy Trinity (3 essence God in
one indistructable and insaparatable God - one God as God said for
himself in the beginning of writtings) has revealed himself in
front of all the people gathered along John the Baptist in Jordan
waiting to be baptized in his three essences:
1. God the Father spoke from heaven manifesting and testifying
about Jesus Christ being his beloved and only son and saviour of
mankdin
,br /> 2. God the Son (Jesus Christ), has physically appeared to
receive the baptizm to fulfill all righteousness and (the old
testemential prophecies) and to begin his 3 years mission on
earth.
3. God Holy Spirit) has descended from heaven on Jesus Christ in a
publicly observable form of a dove
Theophany's feast is called by some english speaking orthodox
christians
Epiphany, but this is a term less used in
orthodox christendom and much more spread in Roman Catholic
one.
The Gospel readings in the church tell of the Lord's baptism by
John in the Jordan River. The epistle reading of the Divine Liturgy
tells of the consequences of the Lord's appearing which is the
divine epiphany.
After the end of the
st. Basil the Great Holy Liturgy
served, the
Great Blessing of Water is performed by one or
more priests (depending on the number of present priests). The
meaning of the blessing of the waters meaning is to show that
mankind and all of God's creation, were created to be blessed and
filled with the sanctifying of God's presence.
A very local unique bulgarian tradition on this number is that if
the
great blessings of water is performed by a priest near a
river or a sea shore the cross be thrown in the water in order to
bless the waters.
Then a number of brave man jump in and do a race swimming aiming to
pull out the crucifixion of the water. It is believed that the one
who could pull out the cross will get God's great blessings through
the upcoming church year.
Let us pray trust and hope on God to also appear to us who seek
him, and show us his Holy Trinity wholeness mercies just like he
did himself to the people waiting for Baptizm from John the Baptist
by the holy prayes of the Theotokos and his holy saints and all
heavinly hosts. Amen