Epiphany 2021: Patriarch blesses faithful with Agheasma Mare; holy water - only bottled

The Orthodox Church celebrates, on Wednesday, the Baptism of the Lord or the Epiphany, and the liturgical events occasioned by this celebration will take place this year in compliance with the sanitary rules. The Romanian Patriarchy emphasizes that there will no longer be large vessels of water as in previous years, but the faithful will receive Agheasma Mare (the Great Holy Water by Epiphany) already bottled at the Patriarchy's Cathedral, starting with 7:00 hrs, near the Summer Altar, to avoid crowding at its distribution. On Wednesday, between 9:30 and 12:00 hrs, the Holy Mass will be celebrated inside the Patriarchy's Cathedral, in compliance with all the sanitary norms in force. The ceremony of the Great Blessing of Waters (Agheasma Mare) will be performed again, between 12:00 and 13:00 hrs, by Patriarch Daniel, in a single silver vessel, on the Porch of the Patriarchal Residence, and then the faithful present at the service will be blessed by being sprinkled with Wednesday's Agheasma Mare. On the Eve of the Baptism, on Tuesday, between 12:00 and 13:00 hrs, in the Patriarchy's Cathedral, the Service of the Great Blessing of Waters (Agheasma Mare) was performed for the needs of the Cathedral. At the same time, a large amount of water (10,000 one-litre bottles) was consecrated in the Summer Altar, bottled until evening. The water, as every year, comes from the spring "Garden of the Mother of God" in the inner courtyard of the Patriarch's Residence. Theologically called Epiphany, Theophany, or the Lord's Appearing, the Epiphany reminds us of the time when Jesus Christ, at the age of 30, was baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River. On the eve of the Epiphany, in all the Orthodox churches, at the prayers of the hierarchs and priests, Aghiasma Mare is blessed. Orthodox Christians can take Agheasma Mare without eating between January 5 and January 14 and on the recommendation of the confessor. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Popescu, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Cristina Zaharia)