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Orthodox Christians participated in blessing of the waters ceremonies, while Catholics in the Vatican attended Mass in St. Peter’s basilica.
All over Europe, Christians closed off the Christmas season with celebrations of Epiphany.In Orthodox Christian communities, the holiday is marked by blessing of the waters ceremonies, during which swimmers compete to retrieve a cross thrown by a priest into the water. The tradition is observed in countries like Bulgaria and Greece, among others.Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers in Bulgaria on Monday braved the freezing winter weather to plunge into icy waters as they observed the centuries-old Epiphany tradition commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.It is believed that the person who retrieves the wooden cross will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy throughout the year. After the cross is fished out, the priest sprinkles believers with water using a bunch of basil.In the tiny city of Elin Pelin, situated in a rural area east of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, dozens of men jumped into the wintry waters of the Lesnovska River to catch the blessed cross.The peak of the celebrations was the slow “mazhko horo”, or men’s dance, performed by men dressed in traditional white embroidered shirts who waded into the river singing folk songs and waving national flags.Near the port of Piraeus outside Athens, a large crowd also gathered to participate in the ritual. Hundreds watched as a man emerged victorious after catching the cross in the event marking the baptism of Jesus Christ.The priest was handed back the cross and he tossed it twice more, giving the chance to two more people. All three received cups, and all faithful that dived received medals to remember their participation.Romania’s version of Epiphany includes an annual horse race. Hundreds of Romanian villagers gathered on the outskirts of the southern village of Pietrosani on Monday to watch.The animals were blessed by a priest earlier in the day as they are essential to village life, and are used for ploughing, carrying wood and transport.Local resident, Grigore George Albert, who attended the celebration with his horses, said he only keeps them for their beauty and takes them out for weekend events. “This is our tradition’,’ he said. ‘’We come here each year to baptise them horse so they will be well.”While the horses raced across the icy fields, villagers drank plum brandy and mulled wine and ate grilled spicy sausages to celebrate the feast.Three Kings DayThe religious holiday of Epiphany is also celebrated in some Western Christian churches as Three Kings Day, which marks the the Magi, or three wise men, visiting baby Jesus as the Christmas season closes out.Hardy swimmers in Prague took to the cold waters of the Vltava River as they marked Epiphany with an icy dip.The “Three Kings” swim has become an annual event on Epiphany with Monday’s plunge being the 15th held by the organisers.In Poland, a Three Kings procession went through Warsaw to the Old Town’s Castle Square, where homage was paid to Mary and Jesus. Inhabitants of Warsaw, people from across the country as well as foreign tourists took part in the event. Processions of the Three Kings passed through over 900 cities, towns and localities throughout Poland. As part of the Vatican’s Epiphany traditions, Pope Francis reiterated his call for people to pray for peace in conflicts across the globe as he wrapped up a busy Christmas season.He spoke from the window of the Apostolic Palace to thousands of faithful gathered below in St. Peter’s Square.The pope urged faithful to follow the example of the three wise men who made time to journey to see the newborn baby.Earlier in the day, Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark Epiphany.The Epiphany Mass marked the end of a particularly busy Christmas season for Francis, which also coincided with the start of the 2025 Jubilee. The once-every-quarter-celebration of Christianity is expected to bring more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome over the next 12 months.This year, the 88-year-old pope has a daunting schedule of greeting and ministering those faithful, alongside his other papal duties.After he wraps up the Christmas season with Epophany, the Pope will deliver his annual foreign policy speech to the Holy See’s diplomatic corps, host a final meeting with President Joe Biden and preside over the baptism of babies in the Sistine Chapel.
