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WORLD NEWSThursday 7 January 2016

Epiphany celebrated in Orthodox Christian, Catholic nations

SUZAN FRASER The main ceremony was eastern Mediterranean as hearts these days are seek- thrown by Bartholomew.
Associated Press held at the country’s larg- about 20 daring swimmers ing sure answers to life’s Nicolaos Silos, a 28-year-
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — est port of Piraeus, near dashed into the sea to re- questions but don’t find old visitor from Greece,
Wednesday is Epiphany, Athens, but left-wing Prime trieve it. The ritual is called them. was the first to reach it.
a major holiday in much Minister Alexis Tsipras at- the Blessing of the Water Francis has voiced this re- A ceremony to bless the
of Orthodox Christianity tended a smaller ceremony and symbolizes Jesus’ bap- flection during Mass in St. waters was also held in
celebrating the birth and in the Greek capital follow- tism in River Jordan. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest
baptism of Jesus. Religious ing a spat with traditional- Organizer Pavlos Iacovou to mark Epiphany, which city. It was the first “official”
services are held as well as ists in the Orthodox Church told The Associated Press recalls the Gospel account Epiphany ceremony there
Blessing of Water ceremo- who vehemently opposed that several Turkish Cypri- of the Three Kings, or Magi, since the end of a Greek-
Turkey war nearly a century
ago that triggered a popu-
lation exchange between
Greece and Turkey. Al-
though the Greek Consul-
ate in Izmir had organized a
ceremony 2006, it was the
first time the Turkish govern-
ment both approved and
helped to organize it.
“It’s a historic day here and
we’re grateful to the local
authorities and to the Patri-
archate ... for making this
happen,” Tina Samoglu,
secretary of the Izmir Ortho-
dox Community told Greek
state TV. “I feel very proud
and I’m filled with emo-
tion.”
The patriarchate in Istanbul
dates from the 1,100-year-
old Orthodox Greek Byz-
antine Empire, which col-
lapsed when the Muslim
Ottoman Turks conquered
Constantinople, today’s Is-
tanbul, in 1453.

Swimmers jump into the water to race to retrieve a wooden cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bar- RUSSIA
tholomew I during a ceremony to bless the water at the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional ceremony This will be the first time
marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water and swim- since 1928 that a Christmas
mers race to be the first to retrieve it. Eve Mass has been held in
the world’s largest Ortho-
(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) dox basilica, the St. Isaac’s
Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
nies at lakes, rivers and sea- a recent law sanctioning ots also attended Wednes- who followed a star to find The landmark 19th Century
fronts. same sex-civil partnerships. day’s ceremony. baby Jesus in Bethlehem. cathedral was turned into a
But in Russia, Serbia, Ukraine Bishop Serapheim of Pi- Acting as the backdrop to The pontiff said: “Like the museum under the officially
and other Orthodox coun- raeus described the law an the ceremony was the Turk- Magi, countless people in atheist Soviet regime; after
tries that observe a differ- “insult to human identity” ish military-controlled sub- our day have a ‘restless the USSR’s collapse in 1991
ent religious calendar, it and “psychiatric deviation urb of Varosha that has re- heart’ which continues to it remained as a museum,
is Christmas Eve. Roman from healthy sexuality.” mained a virtual ghost town search without finding sure but the Russian Orthodox
Catholics and Protestants, for 42 years, ensconced answers.” church has used it periodi-
meanwhile, celebrate the CYPRUS in a chain-link fence that cally for services.
story of the Wise Men who More than 1,000 Orthodox keeps everyone out. TURKEY
followed a star to Jesus’ Christian faithful attend- The ceremony was the lat- Members of Istanbul’s tiny BULGARIA
cradle. ed the annual Epiphany est in a number of recent, Greek Orthodox commu- Thousands of young men
Here’s a look at some cel- Day blessing of the waters faith-oriented acts of rap- nity, visitors from neighbor- waded into icy waters in
ebrations that took place in Famagusta in Cyprus’ prochement between the ing Greece and other faith- Bulgaria to retrieve cru-
on Wednesday: breakaway Turkish Cypriot island’s majority Orthodox ful attended an Epiphany cifixes cast on the waters
north. It was the first time Christian, Greek-speaking service led by Ecumenical by priests. By tradition, the
GREECE the ceremony has taken and the Muslim, Turkish Patriarch Bartholomew I, person who retrieves it will
Ceremonies were held place since 1974 when speaking populations. They the spiritual leader of the be healthy and freed from
across the country, with Turkey invaded after a aim to underscore that reli- world’s Orthodox Christians evil spirits all year. After the
divers jumping from piers, coup aiming at union with gion doesn’t drive a wedge in Istanbul, where the Patri- cross is fished out, the priest
bridges and tug boats. Greece divided the island. between Greek and Turkish archate is based. takes a bunch of dried ba-
School children and mem- In keeping with tradition, Cypriots. A group of faithful leaped sil to sprinkle water over
bers of the country’s navy Archimandrite Avgoustinos into the frigid waters of believers. In some villages,
special forces also took Karras hurled a silver cross VATICAN the Golden Horn inlet to men dipped into a local
part. into the cold waters of the Pope Francis says restless retrieve a wooden cross river and danced the horo,
a traditional dance. q