On 19 January 2020 the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates one of the principal feasts of the Lord, one of the Twelve Great Feasts: Theophany, the Baptism of the Lord!
On this day, 19 January 2020, the feast of the Baptism of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Priest Igor Babakov, rector of Saint Alexius Cathedral in Samarkand, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Water in our church.
On the eve, Theophany Eve, 18 January, the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great was celebrated in the cathedral, and immediately before the Liturgy the Royal Hours were read.
At the end of the service Fr. Igor performed the rite of the Great Blessing of Water.
On the eve of the feast of Theophany Fr. Igor celebrated the All-Night Vigil.
This feast is called Theophany in memory of the miracle that took place at the Baptism. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus Christ from heaven in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard calling Him Son. Thus the Holy Trinity was revealed to those present: the voice was God the Father, the dove God the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ God the Son. This confirmed that Jesus is not only the Son of Man but also the Son of God. God appeared to people.
The chief feature of the Theophany services is the Great Blessing of Water. Water is blessed with this rite only twice a year: on Theophany Eve, 18 January, and on the day of Theophany itself, 19 January, after the Divine Liturgy.
Theophany water blessed by the Great Rite is called Agiasma. It is a holy thing and must be treated with special care.
From the first centuries of Christianity there was a tradition of baptizing catechumens at Theophany. For this reason the feast was often called "the Day of Illumination", "the Feast of Lights" or "the Holy Lights", signifying that the Sacrament of Baptism not only cleanses a person from sin but also enlightens him with the Light of Christ. It was then that the tradition arose of blessing the water of rivers and lakes on this day and of bathing in them.
At the end of the service Father Igor addressed the parishioners with a word on the holiness of the feast: "Today the Lord entered the waters of the Jordan and thereby sanctified them, giving them back the pristine nature that water possessed before the fall of mankind. With sin came death and corruption, and this affected water too. We know that Theophany water does not spoil, regardless of human sinfulness, but it acts only when we receive it with faith!
Let us remember that when we come for this holy water, which we will carry home to sanctify our dwelling and ourselves, we must not defile it by our behaviour: by quarrels, discontent, irritation or malice."
