It is celebrated on January 6 of each year.
The Epiphany is one of the oldest holidays of our church which was established in the 2nd century AD. and refers to the manifestation of the Holy Trinity at the baptism of Jesus Christ. The history of the baptism is as follows: Following a divine command, John the Baptist left the desert life and came to the Jordan River where he preached and baptized.
One day Jesus appeared there and asked to be baptized. John, although the Holy Spirit had informed him who it was that asked him to be baptized, at first refuses to baptize him claiming that he himself needs to be baptized by Him.
But Jesus explained to him that this was God’s will and convinced him to baptize him. And then, before the astonished eyes of the spectators, a unique and magnificent scene took place, when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and sat on the baptized Jesus, while at the same time the voice of God was heard from heaven saying: “This is the My dear Son, en o eudokisa” (“This is my beloved Son, this is my chosen one”).
Since then, the Baptism of Christians is not “in water”, like John’s baptism of “repentance”, but “in the Holy Spirit”. By being baptized, the Lord sanctified the water, made it water of sanctification and reconciliation with God. Thus the Baptism of the Lord opened the door to the Sacrament of Baptism. With the cathartic grace of holy Baptism, the old sinful man is renewed and by observing the divine commandments he becomes an heir of the kingdom of heaven.
