Romania’s Orthodox Church announces safety measures for Epiphany ceremonies

This year’s Epiphany ceremonies will be held in compliance with special safety measures in Romania, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Epiphany (Boboteazain Romanian), which is celebrated annually on January 6, is one of the most important religious celebrations among Romanian Christians. Churches get very crowded during this period, as many believers attend religious ceremonies. Thus, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the Romanian Patriarchate announced that liturgical events at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest would be held with several safety precautions.

The Orthodox Church announced, for example, measures to manage the flow of participants (such as special access corridors). Participants will also be required to wear face masks and keep a 1.5-meter distance between them. Plus, the holy water that believers usually take from the church on Epiphany Day will be bottled, according to G4media.ro.

The Epiphany marks the day when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (the Saint celebrated the next day, on January 7). The Epiphany and St. John’s Day mark the end of the winter holidays in Romania.

The celebrations start on the eve of the Epiphany, on January 5, when the priests across all Orthodox churches in the country begin to bless the waters. The holy water (aghiasma in Romanian) is then given to the people on the Epiphany Day. The believers use the aghiasma to bless their houses, goods, and animals, as it is believed that this blessed water has miraculous powers and protects them.

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