The feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 19, is one of the greatest Christian celebrations. Many people know that on this day you can collect holy water, which, thanks to the rite of the great consecration of water over it, acquires healing properties.
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is fanned by a multitude of popular superstitions and myths that have nothing to do with church consciousness. Especially many such superstitions apply to the holy water, consecrated on holidays in Orthodox churches. One of these popular opinions is the belief that holy water for Epiphany must be collected at 12 o'clock at night with the onset of the calendar day on January 19. At the same time, many argue, water can be drawn from absolutely any source or even from a tap.
Such a view does not correspond to the Orthodox worldview, because if we talk about that very great hagiasma (water that is consecrated on the feast of Epiphany), then it is worth collecting it only after performing the great consecration of water in a church or at the source of the rite. Thus, answering the question of when to collect water for Baptism, it is necessary to say: the great shrine is collected after its consecration.
Orthodox liturgical practice prescribes the great consecration of water twice a year. For the first time, Epiphany water is consecrated on the eve of the holiday (that is, on the 18th of the first New Year month). On Epiphany Eve, a festive service is served in Orthodox churches, at the end of which the water is consecrated. Therefore, taking into account the fact that the divine liturgy begins at 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning, water can be drawn after 10 or 11 o'clock.
The second time, the water is consecrated on the very day of the Baptism of the Lord (January 19th). The rite of the great consecration of water also takes place after the liturgy. Often, the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is marked by a nightly solemn service, starting at 23:00 on January 18th. The festive service, along with the subsequent consecration of the water, comes to an end at approximately 3 am. Thus, holy water for Epiphany can be collected at night in the church after consecration.
Sometimes the festive liturgy for Epiphany begins in the morning (at 8 or 9 o'clock). After 11 or, respectively, 12 hours in the Orthodox church, the water will already be consecrated.
There is a practice when the clergy go to the springs and springs shortly before midnight before the onset of the feast of Epiphany. On the springs, the blessing of water is performed, which in itself takes no more than an hour. If there is reliable information that the priest will consecrate water at a spring, then you can collect a shrine at a natural source.
The main thing to remember: holy water for Epiphany is collected only after it has been consecrated by a priest (and not by a "grandmother") in a church or at springs.
