This post was originally published on this site
Located far north in Finland’s North Karelia region, New Valamo Monastery performs the Epiphany Blessing of the Water on its frozen Lake Juurikkasalmi.
Yesterday, ten New England young adults celebrated the Feast of Theophany there, huddled in the cold amongst monks and fellow pilgrims.
Visiting annually, CrossRoad Institute’s Telos Center has made participation in Valamo’s Epiphany celebration a new tradition. The pilgrimage offers young adults a chance to celebrate the feast in an ascetic setting, immersed in a culture and landscape quite unlike their own.
In such a hostile climate, monks must cut through the lake’s surface to reach water; a cross made from the removed ice is set upon the lake. The clergy and monks’ breath was visible in the air as they chanted, creating a visualization of prayers rising.
While most hurried back into the church’s warmth after the Blessing of the Water, a few faithful lingered behind for a chance to brave the lake, plunging into its icy waters in a traditional Epiphany bathing practice.
Considered the “Mount Athos of the North,” Valamo is among the most significant monastic communities in Eastern Orthodoxy. The community was originally located on Lake Ladoga (now Russian territory) before evacuating to Finland during the Winter War. Today, Valamo is considered the spiritual center of Finnish Orthodoxy.
After sharing a festal meal, the young adults explored the monastery grounds, wondering at the snow-capped birch, spruce, and pine forests.
One pilgrim, Catherine Greer, shared that for her, the monastery’s natural beauty only enhanced its spirit of faith and holiness.
At Valamo, “everything feels a little bit magical,” Greer said.
The post Pilgrims celebrate Epiphany upon a Finnish monastery’s frozen lake appeared first on Orthodox Observer.
