“Blessing of the Waters” in Chertsey - ReviewEvery year on 19th January (= Epiphany in the Orthodox calendar) the monks of Brooklands come to Chertsey for their ceremony of “Blessing the Waters”. This is to commemorate the anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus, signifying the manifestation of God in the flesh (”Epiphany” means “shining forth” or “manifestation”, and in the Orthodox liturgy this is referred to as “Theophany” which means the “manifestation of God”). The pictures show Abbot Alexis censing the waters at the beginning of the service, and after much reading and chanting, blessing them by throwing a cross in three times (retrievable by an attached cord...). Later the congregation lines up to be slapped with river water for a blessing. Most orthodox churches will celebrate this ceremony in their buildings but where a suitable site is available it is also connected to the remembrance of Christian martyrs. In this place by the Abbey River stood once a grand Abbey where the Abbot and about 90 monks were slain by Vikings sailing up the river Thames in the 9th century. It is for this historical connection that the monks come to Chertsey every year. The service ended with a skinny-dipping member of the orthodox congregation (a tradition connected with the cross-throwing - in the past young men had to retrieve it!), and with hospitality in the local barn.
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