On 19^th of January the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the 12 greatest divine feasts – the Epiphany, the Baptism of our Lord.

In the Orthodox calendar the feast of the Epiphany is called "Theophania", meaning the manifestation of God. Epiphany is the most ancient feast, after Easter, relating to the Lord and is observed by the Christian Church on January 6.

The most characteristic feature of the Orthodox day of Epiphany, or Theophania, is the sanctifying of waters by invoking the Spirit that appeared in the form of a dove over Christ at the time of His Baptism. The Orthodox receive sanctified water at the end of the special service of Epiphany and with it sanctify their homes, gardens, and other possessions while some preserve it for the entire year partaking of it at times of illness and other personal or family adversities. 

The twelve days between the Nativity of our Lord, December 25th, and the day of the Epiphany, January 6th, is called Dodekaemeron (twelve festal days) and is considered to be one continuous festive period. On December 26th, the Virgin Mary who gave birth to our Lord is honored, and on January 1, the day of Circumcision of our lord is celebrated. The festive character of the period is observed by abolishing all kinds of fasts, apart from the day prior to the Epiphany when the service of the Great Agiasmos is performed.