Holy Rivers

Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage, India

Okay, sometimes I just blow it. I've been meaning to blog about the largest religious gathering on the planet, one which only happens every few years in India. Kumbh Mela  2019 began on January 15 and concluded last Sunday, March 4th. Attendance was estimated at more than 100 million people from across the world, the largest peaceful gathering of religious pilgrims. By comparison, the pilgrimage to Mecca last year attracted 2.5 million.

Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival during which pilgrims engage in ritual bathing for the forgiveness of sins in several rivers including the Ganges. During this year's gathering there were six bathing dates listed on the government website, the final holy bath taking place last Sunday.



Namaan healed in the Jordan River

I can say with confidence that I would not want to participate in any communal activity with such a vast crowd, and I know that these rivers are highly polluted. Yuck. Yet bathing as a religious activity for healing and repentance is very much a part of our Judeo-Christian tradition. In 2 Kings we read about Namaan, the Syrian commander, who is healed of leprosy after Elisha tells him to bathe in the Jordan river seven times. Jesus refers to this story in Luke 4: "There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

The gospel of Mark was probably the first of the four to be written and it begins with the baptism of Jesus. John the Baptizer is immersing people in the waters of the Jordan for the forgiveness of sins when Jesus arrives.

It makes sense that water, which is essentially to life on Earth would be considered sacred in different religions. Perhaps we all need to make some effort to acknowledge of the holiness of rivers.
 

Baptism Scene in Brother Where Art Thou