The Epiphany was celebrated with due grandeur across Greece, from Athens and Thessaloniki, Epirus and Patras, to Larissa, Crete, and the Phanar in Constantinople.

Crowds of faithful gathered to witness the blessing of the waters, while the good weather proved an ally for those brave enough to dive for the Cross.

Athens

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the blessing of the waters and the diving of the Holy Cross at Dexameni in Kolonaki.

Earlier, accompanied by his daughter Sofia, he attended the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Church of St. Dionysios the Areopagite in Athens. In his statements after the diving of the Holy Cross, the Prime Minister referred to the loss of former Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and the health struggles of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania at the Evangelismos Hospital.

Mr. Mitsotakis extended his New Year wishes, emphasizing that Greece currently serves as a beacon of stability in an unstable world and is paving the way for progress in a stalling global environment. “Let us preserve this environment,” the Prime Minister highlighted.

Photos from the blessing of the waters in Athens:

During the blessing, an unexpected incident occurred when the bishop threw the Cross… without having it tied to his hand, resulting in it falling into the reservoir. This led to an entire operation to locate it, which lasted around 20 minutes. Fortunately, the Cross was retrieved with the help of a pole.

Piraeus

The blessing of the waters was conducted with splendor in Piraeus as well. Among the attendees of the Epiphany celebrations was Socratis Famellos, President of SYRIZA, who participated in the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral and later attended the Holy Cross’s diving at the dock opposite the Holy Church of St. Spyridon.

The celebrations were presided over by His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece.

Thessaloniki

Crowds gathered early in the morning at the Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Gregory Palamas in Thessaloniki’s city center to attend the doxology for the Epiphany. The ceremony was officiated by Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki.

Among those present were Deputy Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Kostas Gkioulekas, Nikos Natsios, leader of the political party “Niki,” Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Athina Aidona, Mayor Stelios Angeloudis, Secretary of the ND Parliamentary Group Stavros Kalafatis, and ND MPs Maria Nefeli Hatziioannidou and Dimitris Kouvelas.

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According to thestival.gr, the 25-year-old Markos Anastasopoulos caught the Holy Cross in the Thermaic Gulf during the blessing ceremony. Metropolitan Philotheos noted that Mr. Anastasopoulos traveled from Patras specifically to dive into the Thermaic Gulf to retrieve the Cross, a goal he ultimately achieved.

Patras

The Epiphany was celebrated with grandeur in Patras as well. Swimmers of all ages dove into the waters at the pier of Agios Nikolaos in the city’s old port to retrieve the Cross. The ceremony was attended by local authorities and officials, according to tempo24.news.

As in previous years, the swimmers unfurled a giant Greek flag and sang the National Anthem. The Cross was retrieved for the second time by Christos Voukellatos, a senior high school student and athlete of the Nautical Club of Patras.

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Larissa

The Epiphany was celebrated with due grandeur on Monday in Larissa. From early in the morning, crowds of faithful and representatives of political and military leadership gathered at the Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Achillios for the Divine Liturgy and the great blessing of the waters, officiated by Metropolitan Ieronymos of Larissa and Tyrnavos.

Subsequently, accompanied by the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra and a military honor guard, a procession proceeded to the Pinios River bridge for the traditional diving of the Holy Cross.

Many brave individuals dove into the river’s icy waters to retrieve the Cross, which was eventually caught by 43-year-old Christos Aivalis, a police officer originally from Kalamata now serving in Athens, according to onlarissa.gr.

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Volos

The Epiphany was celebrated in Volos with solemnity. The traditional blessing of the waters drew crowds of faithful. The celebrations began with a Divine Liturgy at the Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Nicholas, attended by Metropolitan Ignatius of Dimitriados and Almyros, local authorities, and hundreds of faithful.

After the liturgy, the Metropolitan, accompanied by priests and local officials, proceeded to the city port for the blessing of the waters. Despite the chilly temperatures, dozens of courageous swimmers plunged into the icy waters of the Pagasitikos Gulf to retrieve the Cross, according to thenewspaper.gr.

Heraklion

Under a bright sun, the blessing of the waters took place in Heraklion on Epiphany Day. Gregory Politis from Thrapsano retrieved the Cross from the waters of the port, according to cretalive.gr.

Prior to this, the Orthros, Festive Archieratic Divine Liturgy, and Great Blessing service were conducted at the Holy Cathedral of St. Titus, presided over by Archbishop Eugenios of Crete.

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Epirus

The blessing of the waters was carried out with full formality across Epirus. Crowds of faithful attended the diving of the Holy Cross into rivers and the Pamvotida Lake with reverence.

In Ioannina, small boats and rowers added to the religious scene. Bold swimmers, men, and women of all ages dove into the icy waters of the lake to retrieve the Cross cast by Metropolitan Maximos. A 12-year-old girl caught the Cross.

In Arta, the blessing took place at the historic stone bridge, while in Igoumenitsa, it was conducted at the city port.

In Preveza, Metropolitan Chrysostomos boarded a boat to bless the waters at the port of the city in the Amvrakikos Gulf.

Syros

Under sunny skies and with a large turnout, the blessing of the waters was conducted on Syros this Epiphany.

Metropolitan Dorotheos of Syros presided over the blessing at the port of Ermoupoli, attended by the Deputy Minister of Sports Yiannis Vroutsis, MPs of the region, representatives of the South Aegean Region, the Municipality of Syros-Ermoupoli, military authorities, security forces, and local organizations, according to cyclades24.gr.

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Theophany: Celebrations in Splendor – From Athens and Patras to Syros and the Phanar

The favorable weather and relatively high temperatures for the season encouraged the participation of numerous swimmers who dove into the sea to retrieve the Cross. The lucky one was Vasilis Korfialis, who retrieved the Cross from the waters of the port.

Chalkida

A large crowd gathered to celebrate Theophany in Euboea as well.

In Chalkida, the doxology was conducted at the Church of St. Nicholas by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkida, in the presence of the city’s political leadership. About 25 people dove in to catch the Cross, and this year, the lucky individual was 17-year-old Alexandros, a high school student, according to evima.gr.

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Phanar

Theophany was celebrated with grandeur and splendor at the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The casting of the Holy Cross took place in the Golden Horn by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Patriarchal Divine Liturgy of Theophany preceded this at the Church of St. George in Phanar.

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