SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) – Thousands of Orthodox Christian believers in Bulgaria ignored on Wednesday warnings issued by health officials to abstain from mass meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic and maintained their secular Epiphany traditions.
Young people dived into the icy waters of rivers and lakes across Bulgaria to retrieve crucifixes thrown by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.
Legend has it that whoever retrieves the wooden cross will be free from evil spirits and will be healthy throughout the year. After the cross is fished, the priest sprinkles the believers with water using a handful of basil.
In the small mountain town of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in traditional white embroidered shirts entered the cold Tundzha river waving national flags and singing folk songs. Inspired by drumsticks and bagpipes and fortified by homemade liqueur, they performed a slow “mahhko horo”, or male dance, stepping on the rocky riverbed.
The mayor of Kalofer, who usually leads the dance, this year did not enter the river to set an example that coronavirus regulations must be followed.
Some local police tried to prevent people from entering the river by threatening them with fines, but their calls were largely ignored.
The 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 January 6, the Orthodox churches in Russia, Ukraine and Serbia follow the Julian calendar, according to which the epiphany is celebrated on January 19, as their Christmas falls on January 7.
Some Western Christian churches celebrate the Epiphany religious holiday as the Day of the Three Kings, which marks the visit of the Magi, or three wise men, to the baby Jesus, and closes the Christmas season.
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