Religious holiday

Epiphany: blessing of the waters

A priest throws a cross into the sea and young swimmers dive into the cold water to bring it back.

When

Mittwoch 6 Januar 2027
Donnerstag 6 Januar 2028

Where

About

Theophania, on 6 January, marks the baptism of Christ and is one of the oldest feasts of the Orthodox Church. After the morning service, the priest leads a procession to the waterfront and blesses the waters. Then he throws a cross into the sea, and young men (and more and more women) dive in to retrieve it. Whoever brings it back is said to be blessed for the whole year.

Every coastal town and village on Crete celebrates, but the biggest gatherings are at the Venetian harbour of Chania, the port of Heraklion and the lake of Agios Nikolaos, where the cross is thrown into Voulismeni. On the eve, children go from house to house singing the kalanta, and the 'kalikantzari', mischievous goblins of folk tales, are said to leave the world for another year.