Orthodox Christians mark Jesus baptism in Jordan River

JERICHO, West Bank: Thousands of Orthodox Christians made a pilgrimage on Friday to the Jordan River site where Jesus is believed to have been baptized.   

The event marked the Feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus began his public ministry by receiving baptism from John the Baptist.   

Western Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6, or 12 days after Christmas. The Orthodox, who continue to use the old Julian calendar, mark the date on January 18.   

The celebrations began with prayers by the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, at the fifth-century monastery of St. John the Baptist on a hill overlooking the river.   

The monastery and the riverside site where the baptism is believed to have taken place are located in what has been a closed Israeli military zone since the September 2000 outbreak of the Palestinian uprising.   

Visitors are only allowed in on special occasions, under heavy security.   

A similar ceremony was held on the east side of the river, in what is Jordanian territory, where several thousand people also gathered.   

Traditionally, the patriarch blesses the waters, after which people press toward the river down steep banks lined with scrubby trees and rushes.   

Many will bathe in the river as a re-enactment of their own baptisms, while the less adventurous will fill bottles with water from the river.   

This year, however, authorities prevented pilgrims on both sides of the river from entering the water.