Epiphany is one of the most sacred Greek Orthodox celebrations, rich in many Christian traditions which also date back to ancient times.
Epiphany (also called Theofania or Fota) is celebrated on January 6 and is a day of joy and brightness, as Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist.
The most important ritual is the “blessing of the waters”, which is performed by the Greek Orthodox priest. In seaside or lakeside areas, there is also the ritual of the priest throwing a special cross into the water and swimmers jumping in the water to recover it. It is believed that the person who captures the cross and returns it to the priest will be blessed for the whole year.
On the 6th of January
Eastern Orthodox and Western Christians celebrated the great Feast of Epiphany
(Western) or Theophany (Eastern). This Feast introduced a new period of
liturgical celebration, which is still with us – a celebration that goes right
back to Christian beginnings and opens up the meaning of the Christian faith
and tradition.
Epiphany (from the Greek
epiphaneia) means “manifestation from above,” that is, “divine revelation.” The
Christian feast of the Epiphany primarily entails the manifestation of God in
Christ, Christ being manifested as the Son of God and God as the Trinity of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Western Epiphany celebrates the veneration of the newborn Christ by the wise Oriental Magi as the event that marks the manifestation of the divinity of Christ to the “nations.” Especially since medieval times, Western Christianity developed an elaborate tradition around these Oriental figures – fixing their number to three and identifying them with three kings, called Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar – a tradition that included the re-discovery of their bodies at the Church of St. Eustorgio in Milan (1158), where they had been transferred from Constantinople in the 4th century, and their re-transference and deposition in Cologne Cathedral by Frederick Barbarossa (1164).
"The Adoration of the Magi" Andrea Mantegna
Τα Θεοφάνεια
στην Ιερά νήσο Τήνο 2020
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