ANKARA, Turkey — Epiphany, a major holiday in much of Orthodox Christianity celebrating the birth and baptism of Jesus, was celebrated around the world Wednesday. Religious services are held as well as Blessing of Water ceremonies at lakes, rivers and seafronts.
But in Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and other Orthodox countries that observe a different religious calendar, it was Christmas Eve. Roman Catholics and Protestants, meanwhile, celebrated the story of the Wise Men who followed a star to Jesus’ cradle.
Here’s a look at the global celebrations:
• Greece: Ceremonies were held across the country, with divers jumping from piers, bridges and tug boats. School children and members of the country’s navy special forces also took part.
The main ceremony was held at the country’s largest port of Piraeus, near Athens, but left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attended a smaller ceremony in the Greek capital following a spat with traditionalists in the Orthodox Church who vehemently opposed a recent law sanctioning same sex-civil partnerships.
Bishop Serapheim of Piraeus described the law an “insult to human identity” and “psychiatric deviation from healthy sexuality.”
• Cyprus: More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the annual Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus’ breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. It was the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup aiming at union with Greece divided the island.
In keeping with tradition, Archimandrite Avgoustinos Karras hurled a silver cross into the cold waters of the eastern Mediterranean as about 20 daring swimmers dashed into the sea to retrieve it. The ritual is called the Blessing of the Water and symbolizes Jesus’ baptism in River Jordan.
n The Vatican: Pope Francis says restless hearts these days are seeking sure answers to life’s questions but don’t find them.
Francis has voiced this reflection during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday to mark Epiphany, which recalls the Gospel account of the Three Kings, or Magi, who followed a star to find baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
The pontiff said: “Like the Magi, countless people in our day have a ‘restless heart’ which continues to search without finding sure answers.”
• Turkey: Members of Istanbul’s tiny Greek Orthodox community, visitors from neighboring Greece and other faithful attended an Epiphany service led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians in Istanbul, where the Patriarchate is based.
A group of faithful leaped into the frigid waters of the Golden Horn inlet to retrieve a wooden cross thrown by Bartholomew. Nicolaos Silos, a 28-year-old visitor from Greece, was the first to reach it.
• Russia: This was the first time since 1928 that a Christmas Eve Mass has been held in the world’s largest Orthodox basilica, the St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
The landmark 19th Century cathedral was turned into a museum under the officially atheist Soviet regime; after the USSR’s collapse in 1991 it remained as a museum, but the Russian Orthodox church has used it periodically for services.
• Bulgaria: Thousands of young men waded into icy waters in Bulgaria to retrieve crucifixes cast on the waters by priests. By tradition, the person who retrieves it will be healthy and freed from evil spirits all year. After the cross is fished out, the priest takes a bunch of dried basil to sprinkle water over believers.
In some villages, men dipped into a local river and danced the horo, a traditional dance. In the mountain village of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, scores of men in traditional dress waded into the icy Tundzha River carrying national flags.
• Spain: Children across Spain woke up Wednesday to open presents left during a night-time “visit” by the Three Kings of Orient, a tradition similar to that of Santa Claus but celebrated annually on Epiphany.
Expectations were raised the previous evening as towns and cities across the country held Epiphany parades or cavalcades symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem laden with gifts for the baby Jesus.
Thousands of children and parents thronged sidewalks in Madrid and other cities to watch as ornately decorated floats — including in some cases men dressed as kings riding camels or horses — were accompanied by clowns, jugglers and marching bands.
The tradition spread from Spain to many Latin American countries where Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged.
• West Bank: The Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy Land, Theophilos III, arrived in Bethlehem on Wednesday for Orthodox Christmas celebrations. He walked along the streets of the city in the traditional procession toward the Church of the Nativity, which is revered as marking the site of Jesus’ birthplace.
• Romania: Hundreds of Romanian villagers gathered on the fields near the southern village of Pietrosani, where a priest blessed horses in a traditional Epiphany ritual to ward off diseases and bad luck during the year.
Orthodox priests sprinkled holy water on more than a dozen horses, which were decorated with red tassels, ear caps and ankle bands for good luck. The animals are essential to village life, and are used for plowing, carrying wood and transport.
Horses, ridden bareback, later thundered across the icy fields in the annual race. Villagers drank plum brandy and mulled wine and ate grilled spicy sausages to celebrate the feast while horses dragged logs to demonstrate their strength.
