06/01/2025
Epiphany or Theophany or the Feast of Lights is a major annual Christian feast, the third and final feast of the Twelve Days of Christmas holidays of the Orthodox calendar. It is celebrated on January 6. It represents the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The name derives from the manifestation of the Three of the Holy Trinity that occurred according to three relevant gospel passages.
In Greece, the first blessing is performed on the eve of Epiphany and it's called the “Small Blessing” or “First Blessing” or “Enlightenment”. During the First Blessing, on the eve of Epiphany, the priest - especially in smaller towns and villages - goes around all the houses and with the Cross and a basil branch "sanctifies", “blesses” or “illuminates” (sprinkles) the spaces of the houses to drive away all evil. This was previously connected to the popular belief that until the Lights, goblins would roam around and cause damage, while with the arrival of the priest they would flee in terror. Today, children go out into the neighborhoods with their triangles to sing the Carols of the Lights.
The great blessing is performed on the day of Epiphany on January 6. After the ceremony at the church, a large procession forms and takes the road that leads to the sea or a river, perhaps even to a reservoir. The hexapterygas and the Holy Icon are followed by the priests in their good vestments, then the local authorities and behind them the crowd. In the bigger cities, the procession is enriched with music and military formations. When the blessing is done, the priest throws the Cross into the water, thus performing the Blessing of the Waters. The Cross is caught by swimmers, the so-called Boutikhtades, during the ceremony of the Diving of the Holy Cross. Young people, mainly, dive into the icy waters to catch the Cross and receive the priest’s blessing, but also to accept the honors and wishes of the crowd. The bells ring joyfully, as do the sirens of the ships. All the faithful reverently drink from the blessing, symbolically in three sips, and sprinkle it on their houses, trees, fields and animals.
Happy holiday!
