Monday, January 6th

Seeking the cross: Icy dips mark the feast of Epiphany

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press

Pilgrims jump to catch the cross during a water blessing ceremony marking the Epiphany celebrations at Piraeus suburb, near Athens, on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Similar ceremonies marking Epiphany were held across Greece on river banks, seafronts and lakes, where Orthodox priests throw a cross into the water and swimmers race to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers plunged into the icy waters of rivers and lakes across Bulgaria on Monday to retrieve crucifixes tossed by priests in Epiphany ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.

By tradition, the person who retrieves the wooden cross will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy throughout the year. After the cross is fished out, the priest sprinkles believers with water using a bunch of basil.

The religious holiday of Epiphany is also celebrated in some Western Christian churches as Three Kings Day, which marks the visit of the Magi, or three wise men, to the baby Jesus, and closes out the Christmas season.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis urged the faithful to reject "the god of money" as well as consumerism, pleasure, success and self. In his Epiphany homily Monday in St. Peter's Basilica, Francis encouraged people to focus on serving others, not themselves.

He urged the faithful to concentrate on the essentials by getting rid of what he calls "useless things and addictions" that numb hearts and confuse minds. Francis said believers should aid those suffering on life's margins, saying Jesus is present in those people.

In Milan, city officials served a hotel lunch to 200 homeless people to mark the day.

Pope Francis delivers his speech as he celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgarians sing, play bagpipes and chain dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river during Epiphany, in Kalofer, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers plunged into the icy waters of rivers and lakes across Bulgaria on Monday to retrieve crucifixes tossed by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ. In the mountain city of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in white embroidered shirts waded into the frigid Tundzha River waving national flags and singing folk songs. (AP Photo)

In the sleepy mountain city of Kalofer in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in traditional white embroidered shirts waded into the icy Tundzha River on Monday waving national flags and singing folk songs.

Led by the town's mayor, inspired by bass drums and bagpipes and fortified by homemade plum brandy, they performed a slow "mazhko horo," or men's dance, stomping on the rocky riverbed.

Braving sub-zero temperatures, the men danced for nearly half an hour, up to their waists in the freezing water, pushing away chunks of ice floating on the river.

The town of Kalofer has applied to the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO for this traditional ritual to be inscribed as part of the "intangible cultural heritage of humanity."

In Istanbul, more than a dozen Orthodox men jumped into the frigid waters of the Golden Horn amid heavy rains in a ceremony led by Patriarch Bartholomew I.

Nikolaos Solis from Agrinio in Greece retrieved the wooden cross, the fourth time he has done so. Another Greek man lost consciousness and had to be pulled out of the frigid water and taken to an ambulance.

Greek Orthodox faithful Nikolaos Solis, a pilgrim from Agrinio, Greece, kisses a wooden crucifix after he retrieved it in the Golden Horn during the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020.Swimmers raced to retrieve the cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, during the Epiphany ceremony. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Greek Orthodox faithful hold a wooden crucifix during the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. More than a dozen Orthodox men raced to retrieve the cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

The Patriarchate in Istanbul is considered the heart of the Orthodox world and dates back to the Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when the Muslim Ottomans conquered the city in 1453.

Epiphany marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas, but not all Orthodox Christian churches celebrate it on the same day.

While the Orthodox Christian churches in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania celebrate the feast on Jan. 6, Orthodox Churches in Russia, Ukraine and Serbia follow the Julian calendar, according to which Epiphany is celebrated on Jan. 19, as their Christmas falls on Jan. 7.

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Frances D'Emilio in Rome and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed

Ioannis Vlachakis holds the cross after he retrieved it from the sea during a water blessing ceremony marking the Epiphany celebrations at Piraeus suburb, near Athens, on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Similar ceremonies marking Epiphany were held across Greece on river banks, seafronts and lakes, where Orthodox priests throw a cross into the water and swimmers race to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pope Francis holds up the book of Gospels as he celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his speech as he celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgarians sing and chain dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river during Epiphany, in Kalofer, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers plunged into the icy waters of rivers and lakes across Bulgaria on Monday to retrieve crucifixes tossed by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ. In the mountain city of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in white embroidered shirts waded into the frigid Tundzha River waving national flags and singing folk songs. (AP Photo)

A swimmer holds the cross after it was thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea at Famagusta in the Turkish Cypriots breakaway north part of the eastern Mediterranean divided island of Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Many Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus', the fifth time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

A swimmer holds up the cross, retrieved after it was thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea at Famagousta in the abandoned city in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of the eastern Mediterranean divided island of Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Many Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus, the fifth time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Swimmers try to catch the cross as it is thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea at Famagousta in the abandoned city in the Turkish occupied area at north part of the eastern Mediterranean divided island of Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Many Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus', the fifth time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Swimmers try to catch the cross thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea at Famagousta in the abandoned city in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of the eastern Mediterranean divided island of Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Many Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus, the fifth time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

A Christian Orthodox priest holds up a cross retrieved by a swimmer during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea at Famagusta in the abandoned city in the Turkish Cypriots breakaway north part of the eastern Mediterranean divided island of Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Many Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus', the fifth time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Pope Francis leaves at the end of an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

People stand at the beach and watch the Famagusta or Varosia abandoned city before the epiphany ceremony to bless the sea in the Turkish occupied area at north part of the eastern Mediterranean divided island of Cyprus, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Many Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus', the fifth time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Gondoliers disguised as old women row on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, during the traditional Epiphany regatta Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Anteo Marinoni/LaPresse via AP)

A drummer breaks ice prior to the Epiphany ritual, in Kalofer, Bulgaria, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers plunged into the icy waters of rivers and lakes across Bulgaria on Monday to retrieve crucifixes tossed by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ. In the mountain city of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in white embroidered shirts waded into the frigid Tundzha River waving national flags and singing folk songs. (AP Photo)

Gondoliers disguised as old women row on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, during the traditional Epiphany regatta Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Anteo Marinoni/LaPresse via AP)

People in traditional costumes listen to Pope Francis as he recites the Angelus prayer from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

People in costumes salute Pope Francis as he recites the Angelus prayer from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

People from an historical reenactment group listen as Pope Francis recites the Angelus prayer from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis recites the Angelus prayer from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, centre, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, leads the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. More than a dozen Orthodox men raced to retrieve the cross which was thrown into the waters by Bartholomew. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Greek Orthodox faithful Nikolaos Solis, a pilgrim from Agrinio, Greece, retrieves a wooden crucifix as he swims in the Golden Horn during the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Swimmers raced to retrieve the cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, during the Epiphany ceremony. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)