POST FALLS — The singing was heavenly as voices reflected off the water that quietly flowed past the snowy beach.

The air was crisp and fresh, stinging cheeks, noses and ears.

And the day was blessed, reinvigorating the beliefs of the faithful as they celebrated the baptism of Christ.

"It renews our faith for the new year," said Lisa Gencarella of Post Falls. "It’s a nice way to end the Christmas season and start a brand new year."

About 75 people gathered on the beach of Gencarella's waterfront home to witness the blessing of the Spokane River for the Feast of Theophany. Priests from Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane, Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Spokane Valley and St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Post Falls led the assembly in prayers before a priest tossed a crucifix into the river and pulled it back with an attached string.

This was followed by the priests blessing a bowl of river water and sprinkling it on those in attendance, parishioners and guests who lightly flinched or smiled with their eyes closed as the cold water droplets hit their faces.

"The emphasis on the water blessing is not just on the river, because we do it in the church too. We have a special bowl and we bless the water and the faithful drink from the water, they anoint themselves with the water,” said the Rev. Andrew Welzig, of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church. "We consider water — because it’s one of the essential elements of life — to be something that not only is essential in its natural state, but we bless it because it’s so important to us."

According to Orthodox Church in America's website, www.oca.org, "Theophany is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord."

"From ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine 'those who sat in darkness,' and 'in the region of the shadow of death' (Matthew 4:16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace," the website reads.

This was about the fifth time Gencarella and husband David hosted the Theophany event at their spacious home, a tradition they look forward to each year. After the blessing, many who participated went into the Gencarella home to break bread and get to know their parish neighbors.

 "It's so nice to get the three parishes together and it’s so nice to get to fellowship afterward," Lisa said. "It’s especially nice to see the families bring their kids and be able to play in the snow, so we love hosting it."