Russian Baptism

Dobraye utra! (Good morning!)

So, last weekend, Yelena, the Russian teacher here in Olympia, told us all about a special Russian holiday/tradition. Apparently, in the Russian church, they celebrate January 19th as the day that John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ. On that day, water (in nature, not the bathtub or bottles) is considered holy, and many people enter the water. Once in, they dunk themselves three times. This act is said to encompass many holy acts - it is an act of repentance, atonement, and healing. All across Russia, from Moscow to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, all the way into Siberia, thousands upon thousands of people gather for this sacred day, with large percentages participating.

As an interesting cultural tradition, Yelena thought some of the expats may be interested in observing, and a good group of us attended the larger service, right on the edge of town. Our new friends, Red and Carrie were also along for the experience. We could not believe the steady stream of people who would lower themselves slowly into the water, submerge their whole body (head and all), come up to cross themselves, and do it two more times before exiting the water.

The water is considered holy, so churches and many people will gather it to use throughout the year. It is used for baptisms, annointment, and for illness.

I don't think you can understand how cold we felt WATCHING this!

 After we watched for a while, the four of us headed off to explore the city a bit (more on that another time) and to find a warm place for a little lunch (and to thaw our toes). At some point that afternoon, Red got a call from Anton, a Russian national whom he works with at Exxon. Apparently, Red had made a comment jokingly that week along the lines of "Hey man, if you jump, I'll jump." What Red didn't know at the time was that Anton participates in this tradition every year. So he called to see what time Red wanted to go! Caught up in the moment, Red agreed to go, as long as Anton brought him a towel and some shorts to wear in the water. Always up for an adventure, Matt, of course, requested that Anton bring the same for him.

Carrie and I, the reasonable members of the foursome, could not be swayed. There is not enough money in the world, we said. Or certainly it would take a pretty big room.

We headed to a park a bit further out, where Anton said there was a hole in a stream that he liked better. We got to hike through the woods for a bit - it was absolutely beautiful, and gave the boys a chance to get a little freaked out:) But we finally made it to the spot. It was beautiful: pristine, untouched, nature at it's finest. 

Carrie and I stood well away while the boys prepped. We wanted a good location for pictures and video-taking. From our perch, I took the following video. Enjoy, but pardon the blurriness - my camera sometimes freaks out in really extreme cold. Yup. That cold.
 

 

So now Matt has been baptized as a Russian. I remained happily American. And warm. I was nice and toasty warm.