Christian Pilgrims Celebrate the Epiphany in the Jordan Valley, Jan 2011
Image by Israel Defense Forces
January 20, 2011.
Last Tuesday (January 18th), the Christian holiday of the Epiphany was celebrated by thousands at the Qasr Al-Yahud baptism site in the Jordan River Valley. The site is widely considered by Christians to be the place where Jesus was once baptized by John the Baptist. Around 11,000 Christians arrived at the site, among them Israelis, Palestinians, and many who made the pilgrimage to the Jordan River Valley from all corners of the world.
For the first time, the pilgrims were allowed to dip themselves in the flowing waters of the Jordan River, as the Civil Administration worked to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate the mass pilgrimage to the site over the past year. The main ceremony of the Epiphany took place midday, led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.
The ceremony was organized by the Civil Administration, and security was provided by the Israeli Border Police and the IDF. For more details, see our website.
Pictured here: Clergymen and pilgrims during the ceremony of the Epiphany.
Photography: Staff Sgt. Alon Lefler, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
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