My work as a volunteer at Epiphany

January

2026

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20 January 2026 15:34

A brief report on my duty at the Epiphany font on January 19, 2026.

On January 19, one of the greatest twelve holidays of the Orthodox Church is celebrated - the Baptism of the Lord. The date of Epiphany always falls on the 19th, the holiday is not transferable. This year it fell on Monday. I took time off from work and volunteered near my church.

The church is located on the southern outskirts of St. Petersburg. Next to the church there is a font, which is filled from a water source. Accordingly, the water temperature is plus a few degrees Celsius. It was minus two outside.

My task was to inform the women that there was a separate line to their locker room, a shorter one, or even that you could go into the tent without waiting at all. Also, he told visitors where the entrance was for photographing bathers and where they could get Holy water.

Immersion in water was carried out for two days. On the first day there were 1400 people, on my day - I don’t know.
On Epiphany from 13:00 to 22:00. There were especially many visitors after 19:00 and before 21:30.

Many came not for the first time, because... they know this place and come to Epiphany every year, and they don’t need any explanation.

According to my observations, the age of swimmers is from 5 years to 75 years, but closer to 25 years. Since not everyone can make up their mind - many cross themselves before entering the font, and later, when leaving, they make the sign of the cross again.

Since immersion in icy water is a shock to the body, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and an ambulance were on duty nearby. There were no incidents, except for the incident when the girl began to slip and fall on the railing, but she did not fall.

Often, St. Petersburg residents came to Epiphany bathing with their families and took pictures while steam came from the body.

Hot tea and pies were sold near the church.

It was also possible to collect Holy water in the church, as well as in the spring near the font. The church was also open until 22:00, and on the previous day, after the blessing of water for Epiphany, until 1:00 am. On the evening of the 18th, at Compline, the priests performed the rite of the Great Blessing of Water: first in the temple, then in the chapel. There was a religious procession.

On the day of Epiphany, the consecration of water took place at 12:30 after the Divine Liturgy.

The rite of lighting the water for Epiphany and Epiphany is the same, and Holy water has the same properties. Blessed water does not spoil and retains its miraculous properties; you need to drink it a little every morning on an empty stomach. Which promotes good spirits.

The Feast of the Epiphany falls on the day after Epiphany, when Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven on Jesus in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father, “You are my beloved Son,” sounded from heaven. This miracle for the first time showed the divine nature of Christ - the God-man, that Jesus Christ is the new messiah, who was predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament.

Baptism marks the end of the history of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Age. January 19 according to the new style is January 6 according to the strict style. The tradition of Epiphany bathing is dedicated to this event - the remembrance of the baptism of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ from John the Baptist on the Jordan River.
The baths are often called “Jordan”. Especially on lakes. But here there was a bathhouse in the chapel premises - a font.

Finally, I will say that I met a person who did not have time to take the plunge from the 18th to the 19th, and he came after work on January 19th and was one of the last to stand, but this time he updated successfully.

I liked that there was order and high self-organization of people in the area near the church.

Photo of the Church of Saints Adrian and Natalia, next to which Epiphany bathing was held (click to scale):