The holiday season came to an official close throughout the Greek world with the celebration of Epiphany, or the commemoration of the baptism of Jesus Christ.
The celebration is marked by church services and an annual blessing of the waters where (usually) men from the community, parish or town dive into the water to retrieve a cross thrown by the local priest or bishop.
On the Greek island of Chios, inclement weather didn’t stop the festivities as a sole man dove into the water to retrieve the cross.
In Patra in the western Peloponnese, a fight almost broke out amongst the men who dove into the water to retrieve the cross.
Nowhere in the United States is Epiphany more celebrated than it is in Tarpon Springs, Florida, which this year marked its 111th anniversary of the celebration, with thousands of faithful from throughout the world in attendance to watch Archbishop Demetrios of America toss the cross into the water.
Joseph Cooley, 18, of Tarpon Springs holds up the cross after retrieving it from Spring Bayou during Tarpon Spring’s 111th annual celebration of Epiphany. Photo from www.tampabay.com
In Istanbul, Turkey, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew led the ceremonies with pilgrims from Greece participating alongside members of the small Greek community of the city.
Greek Orthodox faithful Nikolas Solis, 29, a pilgrim from Greece, receives a gift from Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew after he retrieved a wooden crucifix from the waters of Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey.
Receiving a blessing from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew after the retrieval of the cross.
