The Epiphany on January 6, one of Christianity’s important celebrations, is being seen in contrast this year between neighbours Turkey, a Muslim-majority country, and Greece, a Christian-majority country. on the grounds that they did not abide by Covid-19 restrictions allowing people to attend mass celebrating the Epiphany, the second most important event for Orthodox Christians, which makes up over 90 percent of the Greek population.
Around ten in the morning, attendees were in the Fener Greek Patriarchate in Balat to observe the ritual, Deliktas tells. “It was a very long ritual, ending about 12:30 noon,” the Turkish guide says. The ritual is known as one of the oldest worship rituals across Christianity. There was a booth built next to the Fener dock for the occasion of the blessing of the waters, which has long been part of the Epiphany or Theophany in Eastern Christian understanding, which means revelation.
Two swimmers jumped into the Bosphorus’ calm waters to retrieve a cross for their religious leader, Patriarch Bartholomew I, who threw it into the sea, overseeing the ceremony from the shore in the presence of other worshippers and priests, he says. “Istanbul’s Greeks are obviously very old here. It was a beautiful feeling to witness one of their traditions here in Istanbul. The ritual and the way people participate in it show how religions play a crucial role in human life,” Deliktas feels.
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