For the Latin church (the Roman Catholics) today is the feast day called the Baptism of the Lord.
Thousands walk in procession down to the Kasr al Yahud baptism site on this day.
I was there on a much quieter day, just a few weeks ago.
Our bus passed the minus 300 meters sign and continued to descend even lower to the Jordan Valley, a bit north of the Dead Sea (the lowest spot on earth).
Flags greeted us at the entrance.
The Israeli flag and that of Nature & National Parks Protection Agency, and also of the Judea and Samaria Civil Administration (because it is in the West Bank, east of Jericho).
You had better pay attention to the rules.
Don't even THINK of wading across the river.
The other side is already the Kingdom of Jordan.
The border runs down the middle of the River Jordan and that is why the sign says, Do not pass, in Hebrew, English, and Russian.
A new Greek Orthodox church has been built on the other side and we could see the Jordanian flag waving in the breeze of late afternoon.
Many Christians step into the water for a renewal of their baptism.
Some new Christians get the total immersion with the help of their priest or pastor.
The river is very shallow now after 4-5 years of drought.
In the rainy stormy weekend we just had, the level of the Jordan rose by 35 centimeters.
It's not likely you will need this red lifesaver, but it hangs on the tree just in case.
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(This blog has five posts about Kasr al Yahud baptism site, if you'd like to see more.)
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