Epiphany celebrations: Festivities with splendor – From Athens and Patras to Syros and the Phanar

The Epiphany was celebrated with owed grandeur crossed Greece, from Athens and Thessaloniki, Epirus and Patras, to Larissa, Crete, and the Phanar successful Constantinople.

Crowds of faithful gathered to witnesser the blessing of the waters, portion the bully upwind proved an state for those brave capable to dive for the Cross.

Athens

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

Earlier, accompanied by his girl Sofia, helium attended the Divine Liturgy astatine the Holy Church of St. Dionysios the Areopagite successful Athens. In his statements aft the diving of the Holy Cross, the Prime Minister referred to the nonaccomplishment of erstwhile Prime Minister Kostas Simitis and the wellness struggles of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania astatine the Evangelismos Hospital.

Mr. Mitsotakis extended his New Year wishes, emphasizing that Greece presently serves arsenic a beacon of stableness successful an unstable satellite and is paving the mode for advancement successful a stalling planetary environment. “Let america sphere this environment,” the Prime Minister highlighted.

Photos from the blessing of the waters successful Athens:

During the blessing, an unexpected incidental occurred erstwhile the bishop threw the Cross… without having it tied to his hand, resulting successful it falling into the reservoir. This led to an full cognition to find it, which lasted astir 20 minutes. Fortunately, the Cross was retrieved with the assistance of a pole.

Piraeus

The blessing of the waters was conducted with splendor successful Piraeus arsenic well. Among the attendees of the Epiphany celebrations was Socratis Famellos, President of SYRIZA, who participated successful the Divine Liturgy astatine the Holy Trinity Cathedral and aboriginal attended the Holy Cross’s diving astatine the dock other the Holy Church of St. Spyridon.

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

Thessaloniki

Crowds gathered aboriginal successful the greeting astatine the Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Gregory Palamas successful Thessaloniki’s metropolis halfway to be the doxology for the Epiphany. The ceremonial was officiated by Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki.

Among those contiguous were Deputy Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Kostas Gkioulekas, Nikos Natsios, person of the governmental enactment “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 successful 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 extremity helium yet achieved.

Patras

The Epiphany was celebrated with grandeur successful Patras arsenic well. Swimmers of each ages dove into the waters astatine the pier of Agios Nikolaos successful the city’s aged larboard to retrieve the Cross. The ceremonial was attended by section authorities and officials, according to tempo24.news.

As successful erstwhile years, the swimmers unfurled a elephantine Greek emblem and sang the National Anthem. The Cross was retrieved for the 2nd clip by Christos Voukellatos, a elder precocious schoolhouse pupil and jock of the Nautical Club of Patras.

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Larissa

The Epiphany was celebrated with owed grandeur connected Monday successful Larissa. From aboriginal successful the morning, crowds of faithful and representatives of governmental and subject enactment gathered astatine the Holy Metropolitan Church of St. Achillios for the Divine Liturgy and the large blessing of the waters, officiated by Metropolitan Ieronymos of Larissa and Tyrnavos.

Subsequently, accompanied by the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra and a subject grant guard, a procession proceeded to the Pinios River span for the accepted diving of the Holy Cross.

Many brave individuals dove into the river’s icy waters to retrieve the Cross, which was yet caught by 43-year-old Christos Aivalis, a constabulary serviceman primitively from Kalamata present serving successful Athens, according to onlarissa.gr.

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Volos

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

After the liturgy, the Metropolitan, accompanied by priests and section officials, proceeded to the metropolis larboard 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 agleam sun, the blessing of the waters took spot successful Heraklion connected 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 work were conducted astatine the Holy Cathedral of St. Titus, presided implicit by Archbishop Eugenios of Crete.

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Epirus

The blessing of the waters was carried retired with afloat formality crossed Epirus. Crowds of faithful attended the diving of the Holy Cross into rivers and the Pamvotida Lake with reverence.

In Ioannina, tiny boats and rowers added to the spiritual scene. Bold swimmers, men, and women of each ages dove into the icy waters of the water to retrieve the Cross formed by Metropolitan Maximos. A 12-year-old miss caught the Cross.

In Arta, the blessing took spot astatine the historical chromatic bridge, portion successful Igoumenitsa, it was conducted astatine the metropolis port.

In Preveza, Metropolitan Chrysostomos boarded a vessel to bless the waters astatine the larboard of the metropolis successful the Amvrakikos Gulf.

Syros

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

Metropolitan Dorotheos of Syros presided implicit the blessing astatine the larboard 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, subject authorities, information forces, and section organizations, according to cyclades24.gr.

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

The favorable upwind and comparatively precocious temperatures for the play encouraged the information of galore swimmers who dove into the oversea to retrieve the Cross. The fortunate 1 was Vasilis Korfialis, who retrieved the Cross from the waters of the port.

Chalkida

A ample assemblage gathered to observe Theophany successful Euboea arsenic well.

In Chalkida, the doxology was conducted astatine the Church of St. Nicholas by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkida, successful the beingness of the city’s governmental leadership. About 25 radical dove successful to drawback the Cross, and this year, the fortunate idiosyncratic was 17-year-old Alexandros, a precocious schoolhouse student, according to evima.gr.

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Phanar

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

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

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