SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) – Thousands of Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria on Wednesday ignored warnings from health authorities to refrain from mass rallies due to the coronavirus pandemic and instead stuck to their centuries-old traditions of the Epiphany.
The youths submerged in the icy waters of Bulgaria’s rivers and lakes to retrieve crucifixes thrown by priests in commemorative ceremonies of the baptism of Jesus Christ.
Legend has it that the person who recovers the wooden cross will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy throughout the year. After fishing for the cross, the priest sprinkles the faithful with water with a heap of basil.
In the small mountain town of Kalofer in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in traditional white-embroidered shirts entered the frigid Tundzha River waving national flags and singing folk songs. Inspired by drums and bagpipes and fortified by homemade liqueurs, they performed a slow “mazhko horo,” or male dance, stepping on the rocky bed.
The mayor of Kalofer, who usually conducts the dance, has not entered the river this year to set an example that coronavirus regulations should be followed.
Some local police officers tried to prevent people from entering the river, threatening them with fines, but their calls were largely ignored.
The Epiphany marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas, but not all Orthodox Christian churches celebrate it on the same day.
While the Greek Orthodox Christian churches, Bulgaria and Romania celebrate the holiday on January 6, the Orthodox churches of Russia, Ukraine and Serbia follow the Julian calendar, according to which the Epiphany is celebrated on January 19, as its Christmas falls on January 7.
Some Western Christian churches celebrate the religious holiday of the Epiphany as the Day of the Three Kings, which marks the visit of the Magi, or the three Magi, to the child Jesus, and closes the Christmas season.
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