Theophany and the Blessing of Water

One of the most impressive ceremonies of the Byzantine Rite is the Solemn Blessing of the Water on the Feast of the Epiphany commemorating Christ's baptism in the River Jordan. The Epiphany, one of the most ancient and venerable festivities, originated in Palestine where it was celebrated with a vigil and special services on the spot where, according to Christian tradition, Our Lord was actually baptized. St. Gregory the Wonderworker [of Pontus] (d. about 270) is the first witness to present the Epiphany to us as the “saving proclamation of Christ's Baptism." The Feast of the Epiphany was established as a solemn feast in the Eastern Church in the middle of the 4th century as proclaimed in the Apostolic Constitutions: "Let the Epiphany, in which the Lord manifested to us His own divinity, be to you the most honored festival and let it be celebrated on the sixth day of January."

To hear more about it, play the audio below.

To hear an explanation of the Theophany Icon pictured above, play the audio below