There is no exact rule when bathing in the hole for Epiphany 2018, January 18 or 19, the main thing is that it should be after the consecration of the reservoir.
According to an old tradition, on the night of January 18-19, the water in Christian denomination is considered sacred and brings health and goodness of spirit to the whole this year. The Church encourages and leads this ritual of bathing in water, but at the same time says that bathing at Epiphany is old tradition and not the canons of the Church. In some churches on the night of January 18-19 after church service processions are made to the ice-holes in the reservoirs, where, after their consecration by the priest, those who wish can swim.
This tradition is very ancient, and it existed among other nations professing Christianity even before the formation of such in Russia.
Epiphany Christmas Eve is celebrated on January 18. On this day, they sanctify water in churches and perform Divine services. Then a religious procession is made to the jordan - a source or font, usually carved in an icy reservoir in the shape of a cross. Above this water, the priests pray and dip the cross into it. Anyone can bathe in the consecrated water, this is not a mandatory ritual.
Bathing at Epiphany in Jordan is a immersion in water with the head performed three times. During the immersion, the person is baptized, and says three times "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It is customary to plunge into the water in special long shirts, similar to christening clothes, but many women wear modern swimsuits, and men swim trunks.
To dive into ice water in the cold you need to prepare. For the body, this is a strong stress, which, without preparation, can adversely affect health. During shock from ice water, the adrenal glands are sharply activated and release an excessive dose of anti-inflammatory hormones. In the normal state, these hormones are released very little, but while in ice water, they dampen the immune system, thereby minimizing inflammation in order for the body to survive the cold and stress.
A person with normal health (previously prepared for bathing) will endure ice water without consequences. But if a person has poor health, he cannot avoid complications. The action of hormones will continue for another 2-3 days, and then their sharp shortage will begin. At this time, a weakened body can catch an infection.
Preparation and bathing in the hole for Epiphany 2018
1. Before swimming, you need to stretch and run, and then drink hot tea.
2. Before bathing for baptism, it is advisable to consult a doctor. People with diseases such as arrhythmia, hypertension (danger of stroke), diabetes, pyelonephritis and other kidney diseases, gynecological diseases should refrain from baptismal bathing.
3. Prepare the body for swimming should be started a week before Epiphany holidays. First, just go out onto the balcony in home clothes for a minute or two. Then continue hardening in the bath, in the form of two douches cold water from the basin.
4. A week before Epiphany bathing, foods rich in vitamin C should be excluded from the menu. Adrenal hormones stimulate immunity more than expected, so products that promote immunity are not needed.
5. Prepare clothes that can be put on easily and quickly after swimming. Also, take a rug with you on which you will dress and dry yourself. Put on your hat as soon as you get out of the water.
6. For a person diving into an ice hole for the first time, the ideal air temperature is up to 5 ° C below zero. You can dare and plunge into a greater frost, but not more than minus 10 ° C. This is a dangerous indicator for a beginner.
7. Never dive into an ice hole alone - you may need help. The hole itself must be equipped with ladders and be well cleared of ice fragments. Be careful - the ice is slippery.
8. Before diving into ice water, you need to eat thoroughly. Calories will be needed by the body as resources for heating.
9. After warming up (jogging), go into the water gradually. Sudden immersion can cause shock. Going to your knees, wipe your face and hands with water, and only then go deeper.
10. Do not drink alcohol before bathing, as this will increase freezing and may rupture blood vessels. You can not be in the water before the appearance of goosebumps and blue skin - this is a sign of hypothermia. When these signs appear, you need to quickly get out of the water.
Swimming in the ice hole at Epiphany in ice water in severe frost is strictly prohibited for children! The thermoregulation system of children cannot cope with such cooling. They can get frostbite so quickly that their parents won't even notice. The consequences of such bathing are the most negative: meningitis, pneumonia and other serious diseases of the central nervous system (central nervous system).
According to beliefs, on this day the water in rivers and other reservoirs acquires miraculous power and can even heal. It is not surprising that such a healing bath is becoming more and more popular every year. If this year you decide to plunge into the hole, prepare for this event.
To dive or not to dive?
Each person, before “tuning in” for the first time to diving into an ice hole, asks more than one question: is it possible for me to dive? what is needed for that? won't it harm your health? Is there any way to prepare for this in advance? It is these questions that we will touch upon today, because Baptism is just around the corner, which means we need to “arm ourselves” with the knowledge necessary in this matter.
Everyone who has once doused with cold water or taken such a shower knows the feeling of an incredible surge of strength. Diving into an ice hole gives the same effect, only ten times more. And this is not just a feeling, but having a well-founded scientific fact: during stress (and diving into ice water is just stress for the body), the adrenal glands “throw out” anti-stress hormones into the blood in a sufficiently large amount, unusual for the body, while activating all systems human body and mobilizing its protective functions as much as possible.
It has been proven that people involved in systemic winter swimming are much less likely to get sick and even in old age are quite energetic and cheerful.
Due to the expansion of blood vessels, blood circulation improves and, accordingly, the “delivery” of nutrients to the cells of the body is accelerated, which increases the possibilities nervous system, muscle tone is strengthened, and there is also a quick “exit” of toxins from the body.
10 Tips for Preparing for Ice Swimming
At proper preparation to immersion in ice water and in the absence of serious contraindications, a person with “average” health can endure a one-time dive without much difficulty.
Of course, it is highly advisable to consult with your general practitioner before this “extreme” procedure and follow the 10 basic rules.
In 2-3 days, start accustoming your body to the cold: take a contrast shower for several days, and then pour cold water over it, but not in the shower, but from a basin or bucket.
3-5 days before diving, minimize the intake of foods containing vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, rose hips, greens. These products are quite stimulating immune system a person, and diving into an ice hole is one of the sharpest “stimulants”, therefore, if you “overdo it” with this matter, the opposite effect will go on and immunity will begin to fall. This nuance must be taken into account for several days after diving, as the adrenal glands continue to release potent anti-inflammatory hormones for a couple of days.
Prepare comfortable clothing that is both easy to take on and easy to put on. It is desirable that it does not have buttons (a maximum of easily fastened zippers), laces, so that when you get out of the water you can easily get dressed without having time to freeze. You can also bring a rug with you to stand on while drying off.
Two hours before diving, you need to eat a hearty meal (but not before diving itself), since when diving, the body will begin to use your “fuel” to the maximum for its heating, capturing all the resources of the body.
If you are new to this business, then you should not start diving into an ice hole at a temperature of -10 ° C - this is quite dangerous. It is better to experiment at a temperature of 3 to 5 degrees below zero. If the air temperature drops below -7, you should not plunge headlong.
An ice hole must be chosen properly equipped, with a reliable ladder or with a shallow shore.
Before diving, you need to warm up thoroughly, using squats, waving your arms, jumping - so the body will better tolerate immersion in icy water.
Entering the water should not be too slow and not too fast - try to make the dive as "smooth" as possible.
In no case should you drink alcohol before diving, as it will be more difficult for the body to warm up after that, and rupture of blood vessels is also possible. “After”, if you really want to, then you can take it for warming - take a couple of sips.
After diving, dressed in dry clothes, it is best to warm up with hot tea.
It is not recommended to “overdo it” with swimming in the hole, otherwise the body will start to overcool. Optimal time to stay in ice water - 10 seconds. This applies to "non-professionals" in this matter. During this time, you can just have time to plunge according to tradition three times - and this will be quite enough. And your friends or relatives will also have time to take a photo :)
Who can't dive?
Not everyone can be involved in "holy" diving:
due to the increase in the level of sugar by the adrenal glands, such bathing is contraindicated for people suffering from diabetes;
hypertensive patients and people suffering from arrhythmias should also not take part in diving, as they can provoke hypertensive crisis, heart attack or stroke, due to increased pressure;
diving is not recommended for diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system;
"Ice" diving is contraindicated for expectant mothers, as vascular stress can provoke premature contractions.
The choice is yours - and who is ready mentally and physically, all have a nice dive and holy bath. Be healthy!
January 19 is one of the most significant Christian holidays, and many do not think of it without personal participation - that is, immersion in the icy Epiphany water in special ice holes. In Russia, it is customary to bless water at Epiphany, including on natural reservoirs, for which a cruciform hole is cut in the ice - the Jordan. Previously, first of all, those who participated in Christmas divination and masquerading - to wash away sins. It was also believed that evil spirits, who freely walked the earth all Christmas time, were leaving for Jordan. The water consecrated in Baptism is considered healing. The clergy wear white robes for this holiday.
It is believed that Epiphany water brings spiritual and bodily health; in Epiphany bathing about 600,000 people take part in Russia on January 18 and 19 during the day.
In all churches, the "great consecration of water" is performed. According to church canons, on Epiphany Christmas Eve, a believer must come to church, defend the service, light a candle, dial holy water. But no one requires to plunge into ice water, especially if a person is not ready for this.
There are no hard and fast rules on how to bathe at Epiphany. But, according to custom, bathing is three times immersion in water with the head. At the same time, the believer is baptized and says "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!" Usually, long shirts are sewn for swimming, in which a dive is made, like baptismal ones. They are the same for men and women. It is believed that if the parishioners dress in bathing suits, then the bodies on display are dissonant with traditional Christian decency.
Immersion in ice water is a lot of stress. The adrenal glands react sharply and powerfully to it, throwing into the blood a large dose of potent anti-inflammatory hormones, which are normally released a little bit at a time. They inhibit all inflammatory reactions by simply “suppressing” the immune system, helping to endure cold, and adapt the body to endure stress.
If you properly prepare for a dive, a person with average health will endure a one-time dive without difficulty. But if he is at least a little weakened, in three or four days you will have to pay for your courage.
Before diving into the hole, you should not drink alcohol - alcohol will only help to quickly hypothermia and give an extra load on the heart. You should not swim for more than one and a half minutes, also dive with your head.
Before diving, be sure to consult a doctor. People with diabetes, arrhythmia, kidney problems, women with gynecological diseases it is better to forget about the hole. Hypertension patients can have a stroke.
A week before diving, it is better to start preparing the body for frost. The first 3-4 days it is enough to go out on the balcony for a minute in shorts and a T-shirt. In the remaining days - add dousing with cold water. Enough one or two (in the last two days) basins of cold water.
Also, a week before swimming in the ice hole, citrus fruits, herbs, rose hips and other foods rich in vitamin C should be excluded from the diet - it stimulates the immune system, and it is not necessary to stimulate the immune system more than the act of immersion does: it will be too much, the immune system will “fall” greatly . Two hours before diving, you must definitely eat a hearty meal, that is, provide the body with “fuel”. In cold water, the body will quickly spend all its resources on heating, and not a single kilocalorie will be superfluous.
Clothing and footwear should be easy and quick to put on and take off. Dress properly. Ideally, clothes should not have fasteners at all, in extreme cases - a “zipper”. It will be problematic to fasten buttons in the cold, and even more so to tie shoelaces. Also, take a mat. You can stand on it, wiping yourself and changing clothes. The hat must be put on immediately after leaving the water.
Immediately after washing, you need to rub yourself with a terry towel and rush to a warm room. You can not be on the ice with a large crowd of people, and it is strictly forbidden to drive onto the ice by car.
Not all weather is suitable for swimming. Ideal Temperature for beginners - from 2 to 5 degrees below zero. You can take the risk of diving even in a harder frost, but -10 ° C is a dangerous threshold for a person trying to dive into an ice hole for the first time. You should enter the water warm and gradually. This makes it easier to bear the cold. To warm up before the procedure, you can run for several minutes, squat, do active movements. You need to enter the water slowly, at an average pace: if it is slow, you can freeze, and if it is fast, then you may experience fear, severe stress, pulse and pressure rise sharply, take your breath away. Going up to your knees, you need to rinse your face with water, wash your face. This will also prepare the body for full immersion.
You should swim in specially equipped ice holes near the shore, preferably near rescue stations, under the supervision of lifeguards. The ice hole should be well cleared of ice fragments so as not to slip and not get hurt, and to make it easier to get out. It is desirable that she has a ladder or a shallow area for easy exit from the water. You should never dive alone in case you need help. Refrain from swimming if you have a heart condition. Remember that exposure to ice water of unhardened people can lead to general hypothermia of the body. At its first signs - chills, trembling, cyanosis skin, lips, pain in the fingers and toes - a person already needs to be helped. No need to sit in the hole until you get goosebumps. Chills are a sign that the body has begun to overcool. As soon as this is felt, immediately you need to get out of the water. On average, it is enough to stay in the water for 10 seconds - you can just dip three times, as it should be according to tradition.
With a mild degree of hypothermia, it is enough to dress the victim warmly, drink hot tea and force him to perform intensive physical exercise. With moderate and severe hypothermia - rub with a woolen cloth, massage the whole body. Then dress warmly, put to bed. Warming should be gradual so that there is no sudden change in temperature.
Do not go out on the ice unnecessarily, do not leave children unattended near a river or pond, make sure that the ice you go on is strong enough.
First of all, you need to remember - dipping into the hole at Epiphany is not a tribute to fashion, not a cult or drunken fun. This holy sacrament, cleansing from the sins in which the person repented. It is precisely such people who are given liberation from ailments, spiritual and bodily, enlightenment and God's grace. From a church point of view, until the rite of blessing the water is completed, which takes place after the evening service in Epiphany Christmas Eve, swimming in the ice hole remains winter swimming and has nothing to do with the Orthodox rite. For those who really want to touch the shrine, it is important to wait until the reservoir is consecrated.
There are some simple tips, following which you will stay alive. After all, you see, dipping in January is quite an extreme activity:
- the presence of health workers
- depth of the reservoir - up to 1.8 m,
- hole must be fenced off.
- in the presence of diseases of the cardiovascular, nervous system, chronic inflammatory processes;
- if you took alcohol, just got out of the bath.
And if you still fulfill all the rules of dipping at Baptism, you will receive not only a huge boost of vivacity and Have a good mood, but will be healthy for a very, very long time.
1. Make sure you are healthy and well. This is mainly about colds (it is clear that if you have gangrene and you go to the dip for healing, then you are unlikely to feel well).
2. Pick your clothes. It should be not only warm, but also comfortable. Quickly unfasten and easy to put back on. Don't forget the hat! after dipping, be sure to put it on. And you will be much more comfortable if you take a rubber mat to change clothes on.
3. best temperature for dipping into the hole at Epiphany to -5 degrees. If the frost is below -10, and you do not dip regularly (meaning, not once a year, but once a day), then it is better to refrain from such extreme actions.
4. Don't dip hungry! For a couple of hours, it is advisable to eat loosely, and immediately after dipping - drink not alcohol !!!, but warm tea or an infusion of herbs.
5. Before dipping, be sure to do a little exercise, warm up, warm up your muscles: jump, wave your arms, squat.
6. Being in the water for about 10-15 seconds, this is quite enough to plunge three times. And there is no need for you to stay there longer.
7. After leaving, rub yourself well with a towel, do not wear clothes on a wet body. Dry off, get dressed and go warm. If you dip constantly, you can stay in the cold for another 15 minutes.
8. Never dive while intoxicated! It could cost you your life!
And remember, dipping into the hole for baptism - Orthodox rite. Before diving, you need to cross yourself three times. And if a man has enough swimming trunks, then it is advisable for a woman to be in a nightgown, and not from which all her charms fall out.
Is it necessary to "dive" into the cold water?
Consecration with water can only be carried out by a clergyman of the Church. The ceremony is preceded by the reading of the appropriate prayers and the immersion of the cross in the "Jordan", in the water. On the days of the Baptism of the Lord, all water becomes holy and is used by the Orthodox for healing, prayer and strengthening of the spirit. It is important to remember that a full ablution with holy water is certainly part of the tradition, but it is not necessary to completely immerse yourself in the hole.
Ablution in consecrated reservoirs is carried out in order to strengthen and harden the body. This tradition originates from the bathing of babies in ice water among the ancient Scythian peoples.
The Church explains that washing in the hole is not the duty of believers, touching holy water by people should be done according to their strength, for example, it is enough for weak and sick people to scoop up water and wash themselves, and immerse their whole body in cold water reservoir is permissible only for the most courageous.
It is important to remember that ablution does not remove sins from a person, this happens after a series of prayers and during the traditional communion procedure.
Training
To the "Jordan", a hole in the shape of a cross, you need to approach in non-slip shoes (slippers, slates) or woolen socks. Walking barefoot in the snow can injure your feet or cause loss of feeling in your feet. Women are allowed to dip in a bathing suit or a plain long linen shirt. Men can dive in swimming trunks or underwear. From the house you need to grab a large towel, a warm bathrobe and a set of dry linen. In addition, it is recommended to grab hot tea in a thermos, preferably with honey.
There is no need to rush to the hole, it is important to remember that the path can be slippery, so you need to step slowly and carefully. Before diving into the water, it is advised to do several warm-up movements, such as squats, swings or bends.
Basic Rules
1. Diving is allowed only in specially cut holes, the so-called "Jordan". The ice hole should be close to the shore, it is desirable that lifeguards are on duty nearby. Help will be invaluable if someone suddenly becomes ill from a temperature drop or begins to drag under water.
2. The steps of the ladder must be stable, and the ladder itself must be firmly fixed. For safety net, it is better if a rope with knots hangs over Jordan. It is needed so that dipping people can hold on to it.
3. You can plunge up to the neck, but if health allows, then they plunge three times with their heads. After the believers read the prayer "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!" and baptized three times
4. Diving head first is prohibited. You need to enter the water gradually, keeping the vertical position of the body. Displacement of the body can provoke a blow to the ice edge.
5. Total time stay in cold water should not exceed 2 minutes. Otherwise, it is easy to get hypothermia of the body, especially if you plunged headlong, as this causes large heat losses.
6. After leaving the hole, it is important to thoroughly rub the body with a towel, dry off and change into woolen clothes.
Contraindications
Swimming in an ice hole, like an extreme procedure, has contraindications. So, it is strictly forbidden to plunge into ice water if a person is sick with acute respiratory viral diseases, is in a feverish or alcoholic state. Persons with diseases of the heart, cardiovascular system, central nervous system and chronic endocrinological diseases are also contraindicated in complete immersion in the winter hole.