A ceremony was held in St. Nicholas Church in Iskenderun district of Hatay due to Christ’s Baptism Day.
The waters blessed in this special ceremony were distributed to the whole community. In the mass, prayers were made also for the honor of St. John.
Messages of peace were given in the ceremony led by Father Dimitri Yıldırım in the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church of Iskenderun. Describing the meaning of the Baptism Day in his preaching in Arabic, Father Yıldırım reminded that our Savior Christ Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. After reading a section from the Bible during the holy ritual, Father Dimitri Yıldırım made a representative baptism ceremony by immersing the cross in the water.
Father Dimitri Yıldırım also blessed the breads specially prepared for this day. Also, during the Baptism ceremony, after dipping a bunch of olive branches into the water, he blessed the whole community. The waters, blessed by Father Yıldırım, were distributed to the community to be taken home. (SAT-7 Türk / İlyas Edip TERBİYELİ-İskenderun)
