Epiphany. Story
On Epiphany Eve I had a fight with Grishka. From the words of my grandfather, I began to tell him that today at midnight an angel will descend from heaven and sanctify the water on the river, and she will sing: "In the Jordan, you are baptized, Lord." Grishka did not believe it and called me a "fabulist". I could not stand this nickname and pushed Grishka into a snowdrift, and he hit me on the back of the head and covered me with snow. I came home in tears. They asked me: - What are you talking about?
- Gri-i-shka does not believe that the water will sing will-u-children tonight! They did not understand anything from my words. - You are a sinner, you are a sinner, - they said reproachfully, - even on Christ's Christmas Eve you cannot do without a fight!
“But I have stood up for the cause of God,” I defended myself.
Today is the great consecration of water. We were going to church. The mother removed the vessel with the remains of last year's holy water from the goddess and poured it into the oven, into the ashes, for it is a sin to pour it into the places trampled upon. My father asked me: - Do you know what the ancient Epiphany water is called? Holy Agiasma!
I repeated this, as if a word flared up like fire, and for some reason I imagined a recent night fire across the river and a glow over a snowy city. Why the word "agiasma" merged with this fire, I could not explain to myself. Is it because it is terrible?
Snow fell in large flakes on the ground, blue from Epiphany frost. Mother said:
“If the Lord sends snow tomorrow, it will be a fruitful year.
Everyone came to the church, swept and rosy from the frost. There was a special snow light from the frozen windows - exactly the same as between the ice floes that were recently brought from the river to our yard.
… While singing "The Voice of the Lord on the Waters", a priest and a deacon came out of the altar to the people. Three candles were lit on a water-blessing bowl.
- So in the church they sing that on the waters the voice of God is heard, but Grishka does not believe ... It will be bad for him in the next world!
I looked for Grishka with my eyes to tell him about it, but he was not visible.
… After the prayer, the priest thrice immersed the golden cross in the water, and at that time the breathing Epiphany troparion sang with snow and wind "In Jordan, the Lord baptizing Thee, threefold worship appears", and all were sprinkled with consecrated water.
From the icy drops that fell on my face, it seemed to me that now great unrequited happiness would come, and everything would be as good as on Angel's Day, when your father "silvers" you with a dime, and your mother a piglet and a carrot to boot. The liturgy ended in the middle of the church in front of a lighted lamp, and the priest said to the people:
- This light marks the Savior, who appeared in the world to enlighten the whole of the Middle Kingdom!
They approached the tub for holy water. The water rang, and spring was recalled.
As well as at Christmas, a "pre-star post" was kept in the house. Waiting for the evening to come, we sat down for a meal - the evening. They ate baked potatoes with salt, sauerkraut, in which frosts came across (stood in a cold cellar), cucumbers smelling of dill and sweet porridge seasoned with honey.
... I listened and thought: it would be nice now to run through the snow to the river and listen to the full water singing ...
The mother "creates" the cake dough by pouring a spoonful of holy water into it, and the father reads the Bible. Outside the window, the wind hums in the birches and the Epiphany frost walks, crunching with felt boots. Tomorrow, a red number 6 will appear on the tear-off "calendar", and under it will be written the word "Epiphany" sounding in the frosty water of the Epiphany. Let's go to Jordan tomorrow!
V.A. Nikiforov-Volgin
