Baptismal Immersion in the West and East: A Comparative Analysis of the Ritual in the Context of Religious Anthropology Introduction: The Ritual as a Boundary Between the Sacred and the Natural Baptismal (Epiphany) immersion in open bodies of water during the Epiphany holiday (Baptism of the Lord) is a vivid example of a folk-religious practice rooted in the liturgical calendar, but with significant cultural-ritual differences between Christian traditions of the East and the West. This action is at the intersection of several semantic fields: liturgical (the consecration of the water element), ascetic (the testing of the spirit and body), and ethnographic (a calendar ritual associated with purification and health). Comparative analysis allows us to identify not only differences in form, but also a profound difference in the perception of the body, nature, and human relations with the sacred. 1. Eastern Christian Tradition (Orthodoxy): Massiveness, Challenge to the Elements, and Collective Identity In Orthodox countries, especially in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Greece, and Bulgaria, baptismal immersion has turned into a massive, almost national ritual. Theological basis: The practice directly (though not necessarily) stems from the rite of the Great Consecration of Water, performed before and on the day of the holiday (January 18/19). Water is consecrated as an image of the world element, renewed and purified by the Incarnate God. Immersion is understood as a plunge into this renewed element for spiritual and physical purification, cleansing from sins, and strengthening of the spirit. It is important: The Church emphasizes that immersion is not a sacrament and not an obligatory action, but a pious folk tradition. Organization and symbolism: Baptismal fonts are carved out of ice in the form of a cross ('Iordan'). The procession to the water, moleben, and consecration of water precede the actual immersion. The immersion is usually threefold, with the sign of the cross a ... Read more