The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, one of the most important Orthodox feasts, is approaching. Please remember that immersion in a body of water is merely a folk tradition and has no direct relation to the Church. Here is what is written in the Handbook for Clergy:
“In some places, there exists a custom on this day to bathe in rivers (especially those bathe who, during the Yuletide period, dressed up in disguises, practiced fortune-telling, and the like, superstitiously attributing to this bathing a purifying power from these sins). Such a custom cannot be justified by a desire to imitate the example of the Savior’s immersion in water, nor by the example of Palestinian pilgrims who bathe in the River Jordan at any time. In the East, this is safe for pilgrims, because there is no such cold or such severe frost there as we have. Nor can belief in the healing and purifying power of the water sanctified by the Church on the very day of the Savior’s Baptism serve as an argument in favor of this custom, because to bathe in winter means either to demand a miracle from God or to show complete disregard for one’s life and health.”
If you nevertheless decide to immerse yourself in the sea on the feast day, be sure to take into account the state of your health.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones!