Epiphany, also known as Theophania in Greek, one of the most important feasts of the Greek Orthodox Church, was celebrated across Greece on Saturday with a message of love and hope.
President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou visited Rethymnon, Crete for the occasion and addressed the local priesthood, regional officials and the people:
“Today, the celebration of the Baptism of Christ, eternally expresses the need for the spiritual rebirth of man, the path to the light of truth and solidarity. I feel great joy to be on this festive day near our islanders, in a historic city of Crete, Rethymnon, cradle and crossroads of most Mediterranean civilizations,” she said.
In Thessaloniki, Archbishop of Thessaloniki Theofilos (video below) blessed the water in the presence of city and regional officials and hundreds of people. The celebration was followed by the traditional diving to catch the Holy Cross.
On Samos island Epiphany was celebrated with all the honors for the blessing of the water. This year, the divers who jumped into the sea to catch the Holy Cross sang the National Anthem while in the water.
In the Evros border town Rizia, next to Evros River, the faithful waded in the water to catch the Holy Cross. Then they proudly raised the Greek flag in a symbolic gesture of patriotism as River Evros on the border with Turkey is a passage of illegal immigrants to Greece.
Epiphany Celebration in Greece in the Midst of Diplomatic Talks
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the Epiphany celebration in Chania, Crete as later in the day he expected to meet with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The meeting of the two officials took place early in the evening as Blinken flew directly from Ankara where he had a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The grand issue discussed is the escalating war between Israel and the Hamas Palestinian organization that threatens to involve more powers in the struggle and expand to the rest of the Middle East.
Addressing the Greek people, Mitsotakis said:
“On this bright and sunny day the light of Epiphany sends a strong message of hope and progress. And as we are at the beginning of 2024, we have the right to look to the future with more optimism, with more confidence.
There is obviously no shortage of difficulties: from major geopolitical crises in our neighborhood to imported price raises on goods. We will always be at the forefront in dealing with them.”
Nevertheless, Greeks flocked to their local churches to celebrate Epiphany and be blessed by Holy Water.
On Zakynthos island, in the Alykes town, the cold and windy weather did not deter the faithful from attending Epiphany, neither the divers who followed the tradition.
On Syros, the capital of Cyclades islands, Epiphany was celebrated with Metropolitan Dorotheos II and local officials. The fine weather drew a lot of people to the Ermoupolis Port and all traditions were followed.