Theophany and the Great Blessing of Waters

At Theophany the Church remembers the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, and with it the sanctification of the very nature of water. That is why, each year on this feast, Orthodox communities perform the Great Blessing of Waters — in church, and wherever God's creation offers water: a river, a lake, a spring, or the ocean itself.

In warmer lands the blessing often takes place on the shore. The community processes to the water, the priest reads the great prayers of the feast, and the cross is plunged into the waves. In many places the faithful then share a meal together, turning the feast into a day of fellowship as well as prayer.

After Theophany comes one of the most beloved traditions of parish life: the blessing of homes. The priest visits the faithful with the newly blessed water, singing the troparion of the feast, asking God's blessing on every room and every person who lives there.

Holy water is kept in Orthodox homes throughout the year — drunk with prayer in times of illness or difficulty, a constant reminder that the Lord who entered the Jordan continues to sanctify daily life.