Greece's Epiphany - Water and Light after Twelfth Night

Epiphany is Greece's purest religious holiday. Christmas is happily subdued; Easter's secular aspect runs amok, often on 12 cm heels. Glorious days mark the Orthodox calendar, but none so literally cleansing as this most bracing of holidays.

We are expecting a cold snap now- sometime over twelfth night the temperatures are expected to plunge into freezing, making the morning's ritual more testing. Commemorating the baptism of Christ, all the waters- every bay, open sea, lake, and river will be blessed. That involves throwing in a cross, and someone bringing it back. Our house is by the sea, and all of the neighborhood's congregations will form colorful processions to the waterfront starting around 10:30, led by priests and richly robed altar boys. Young men of the congregations board boats with the priest. He will throw a cross far into the water and after a breathless hush - a fraction of a second - the young men will dive after it and we all gasp, even though we know what we're expecting. It's a thrilling moment- a display of bravery and strength, vanquishing the brutal elements on behalf of us all.

We return to the church, the mood a little boisterous. Inside, the line moves quickly as we approach the altar for our blessing, a brisk bask of a great bundle of basil fresh and damp with holy water to the forehead and each shoulder. the air is sweet with the scent of it. Outside the church, holy water flows though spigots from huge vessels and we fill the containers we have brought from home. We sip some, and bring it back for anyone still at home to to take. We give some to out pets, and pour a little into each of our plants, blessing home and its every living thing.

Celebrating today are names that have to do with light and the heavens and Divine joy, like Fotis and Foteini, Urania, and Theoharis.

Anything you do with water today should be particularly blessed. (It's even a good day to bathe your dog.)