Orthodox Christians in Istanbul on Friday marked the anniversary of the beginning and baptism of Jesus of Nazareth, the person they know because the messiah.
The marking of the Epiphany started with a ceremony held by the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate within the Turkish metropolis, adopted by swimmers diving within the water to retrieve a symbolic cross.
The metropolitan bishop of Istanbul’s Kadikoy district on the Anatolian facet, Emmanuel Adamaki, led the morning ceremony at St. George’s Cathedral, often known as Aya Yorgi Church, as contributors chanted prayers and lit candles for the ritual.
Following the prayers, Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based Orthodox Christian chief, together with the contributors, walked to the shore of Halic, or the Golden Horn, and threw the non secular icon into the chilly water.
This 12 months, a complete of 20 swimmers dove in to retrieve the cross and Thanos Apostolakis, from the Greek island of Crete, was the fortunate one to carry the cross again. Apostolakis mentioned he attended the ceremony for the primary time and was very completely happy to retrieve the symbolic cross.
The Epiphany day marks the start of Christmas celebrations by most Orthodox Christians on Jan. 7, later than on Dec. 25-the date for a lot of different Christians-due to totally different conventional calendars.
It is among the Orthodox Church’s most essential holidays, commemorating Jesus’ baptism within the River Jordan.
Sea police models on boats additionally took safety measures alongside the ocean as swimmers have been diving for the cross. Locals additionally watched the ceremony from the shore.
Several different diving rituals have been additionally held in different districts of the famed Turkish metropolis, together with Samatya, Yesilkoy, Buyukada, and Istanbul Strait.
Turkiye, a land that embraces many religions, has a long-established Christian inhabitants, particularly in such greater cities as Istanbul.
