Epiphany, a public holiday in Greece, commemorates Jesus Christ's baptism and the revelation of the Holy Trinity. The Blessing of the Waters ceremony, a key tradition, involves swimmers diving for a cross. While many celebrate on January 6th, some Orthodox churches observe it on January 19th due to calendar differences.
The Epiphany, a public holiday in Greece observed annually on January 6th, commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ and the revelation of the Holy Trinity. A central tradition is the Blessing of the Waters ceremony, where swimmers dive into the water to retrieve a cross thrown by a priest. This act symbolises cleansing and is believed to bring good luck and ward off evil.
The person retrieves the cross is considered blessed and receives it as a symbol of their fortune. Other participants in the dive are also often given medals as keepsakes of the event.
While Epiphany signifies the end of the Christmas season in many Western Christian traditions (also known as Three Kings Day), the date of its observance varies within Orthodox Christianity. Some Orthodox churches celebrate Epiphany on January 19th due to differences in calendar calculations (specifically, the Julian calendar versus the Gregorian calendar).
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