There are many near-Christian traditions that are firmly entrenched in the minds of people. One of these is the practice of collecting water on the night of the Epiphany of the Lord from taps and from any sources. Unfortunately, many do not understand that the water there is not holy.
What water can be sanctified blessed at the Baptism of the Lord
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is solemnly celebrated by the fullness of the Orthodox Church on January 19, is considered one of the main celebrations of Christianity. It is a recollection of a real historical event that happened on the Jordan River. Christ received the baptism from the prophet John, thus fulfilling the ancient Israeli law. The Church claims that the Lord, as it were, had darkened human sin in the waters of the Jordan. That is, in the current baptism, a person, being adopted or adopted by God, receives the forgiveness of sins.
There is a tradition on the eve of Epiphany and on the holiday itself to consecrate water in churches and at springs or springs. It is this water that is holy. However, there is an opinion among the people that all the water is consecrated at 12 o'clock at night with the onset of Epiphany. And many do not even go to the temple, but go to the springs, where there was no consecration of water, and with a clear conscience they collect water there. This tradition appears in Russia only after the 1917 revolution, when churches began to be closed, and the clergy were shot and sent into exile. The Orthodox consciousness of a person could not accept that now water is not sanctified. Therefore, they began to go to the springs in secret at night in order to pray there and draw water. But the rite of consecration by the priest was not carried out. Since then, the tradition of the belief that holy water is everywhere on the night of January 19 has gone on.
The attitude of Christianity to such a tradition is categorically negative. The charter permits the consecration of springs and springs. In this case, the water really has divine grace. But where the rite of consecration did not take place, the properties of holiness are not added to the water. It is a general law that what is not sanctified is not sacred.
