1500 Pilgrims to Be Baptized and Carrying Prayers for World Peace Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/1500-pilgrims-to-be-baptized-and-carrying-prayers-for-world-peace-3264113.html#ixzz0zVZnfwDp Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Every year in September around 1500 pilgrims from different countries in the world, traveled to the river Jordan in northern Israel, where the Yardenit site near Kibbutz Kinneret will host this annual event. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make the same journey every year to be baptized and washed in this famous river in the holy land.
People from all over the globe gather and sing and bath in the summer sun of northern Israel. This spiritual happening is a feast of happiness and anticipation of people whom some have been waiting their entire life for this moment. The release of emotion and elation of performing this ritual with so many others creates an atmosphere unparalleled in this troubled region.
For the many not religious visitors this entire practice sometimes seems comical and funny, all these grown people dressed up in white robes entering into the water in order to be submerged by the attentive priest and emerge not rarely in tears of joy.
This northern part of Israel lies on the border of Jordan, it hold many sacred sites like Capernaum and not far there is a museum where they have one of the authentic fishing ships that was used in the time of the bible. Many evangelistic followers make a special journey through this area to see and feel the magic of the place. The city of Tiberias which lies on the shores of the Sea of Galilee has become the tourist capitol of the north.
But the crown of everything is the small site at the Jordan River. Here the emotions of all those people that undertook this journey reach its climax. The site is run and maintained by the kibbutz kinneret that is located next to the site. This kibbutz which carries the local name of the Sea of Galilee "tried hard to keep the significance of the site in mind when building the center around it. A small shop and large area for people to shower, change and freshen up signifies their sensitivity to the demands of the visitors. People in wheel chairs or otherwise disabled will find that they have no hinder reaching the water.
According to their faith this the place where John baptized Jesus.
Thus they come together in the thousands to immerse themselves in the Jordan River waters. This is the place where John baptized Jesus. Department of Tourism of the Jordan valley repeatedly emphasize that the water in this part of southern Jordan River, which is located in a site called "Yardenit ", is clean and that this holy practice causes no threat to the health of all those strong believers.
Kibbutz Kinneret CEO Tourism of Yardenit Jonathan Bobrov says: "The water on the site is checked each week by the water and health authorities in Israel and the tests are supporting the claim that this river and especially this historic location is save and worthy of baptism and bathing. Water flows directly from the Sea of Galilee to the baptizing site which is located right at the beginning of this part of the river. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, who come annually to visit and to wet their feet, enjoy a well-kept site.
The river lost some of its water due to an ongoing drought and agreements which diverts some of the water to the neighboring country of Jordan but till today the river still has its place of significance in the northern part of Israel as main water source of its agriculture and the site still holds and millennia old attraction to those that want the visit this historical place.
Now let us just hope and pray that the message these pilgrims brought will come to true.


Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/1500-pilgrims-to-be-baptized-and-carrying-prayers-for-world-peace-3264113.html#ixzz0zVZqIZpQ
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution