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

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.

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.

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.

Source: pagenews.gr