Twice as many seats as last year: Epiphany celebrated in Odesa

On January 6, Odesa residents celebrated Epiphany on two beaches, Lanzheron and Zolotyi Bereh, by swimming in the sea - last year only Lanzheron was opened for this purpose, as well as the year before.

Prior to the bathing, Archpriest Theodore Orobets, rector of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Odesa, blessed the waters of the Black Sea.

In addition to the two official locations in Odesa in 2026, another one was organized in the Berezovsky district. There were 15 rescuers from the State Emergency Service on duty at the two locations, and employees of the municipal institution "Rescue and Diving Service of the Odesa City Council" at the "Golden Beach".

Marina Averina, a spokeswoman for the Odesa office of the State Emergency Service, told Intent that the rescuers were pleased with the weather, which was 11 degrees Celsius, and the consciousness of Odessans.

"Today's weather is just right - sunny and warm. Yesterday it was cold and raining. However, all the rescuers were watching the sea because there were waves. We have organized tents to keep warm in all three official locations," the spokeswoman said.

It should be noted that last year in Odesa, the opportunity to perform the sacrament in the sea was restored. In 2023, the sea was closed for this purpose, although an Intent correspondent found a place that Odesa residents used as an alternative to the sea - the pool of one of the city's hotels.

In 2025, Odesa celebrated Epiphany for the first time only on January 6. Prior to that, some Orthodox believers celebrated Epiphany by bathing in water on January 19. In September 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine officially switched to the New Julian calendar. With the transition to the New Julian calendar for fixed holidays, the OCU began celebrating Christmas on December 25, not January 7, the Intercession on October 1, Epiphany on January 6, and St. Nicholas Day on December 6.

Epiphany is the traditional name for the folk celebrations held on the day of the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord (January 6 (19)).

The Baptism of the Lord is the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist on the Jordan River at the ancient pilgrimage crossing Bethabara, as well as a major holiday of the Christmas and New Year cycle that Christians celebrate on January 6 (19) every year.

The feast of Epiphany incorporated many pagan and Christian rituals, with water-related rites taking center stage.

In Ukraine, Russia, Greece, and Bulgaria, water is blessed on the Feast of the Epiphany, or Epiphany. Sometimes the blessing is performed right on the water in specially punched holes called "jordans" to commemorate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan.

In Ukraine, the ancient tradition of bathing in an ice-hole on Epiphany was revived in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

PHOTO: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh

Кирило Бойко