Kokkari Jan. 2006

Photo: Jan Backstrøm, Kokkari. Text: Torben Bolhøj.

Click on the pictures to enlarge

Epiphany or 'The cross day'. People go to the harbour, there will be a Mass and the priest throws an ancient cross out in the harbour. The young men dive to find it, and the man who finds it will be rewarded and blessed with good luck.
On January 6th, the "twelve days" of Christmas officially come to an end. This day has a special meaning in Greece. There will be special ceremonies of blessing the waters and the vessels that ply them.
Many islands and villages offer different versions of the event. It is traditional holiday, performed by the Greeks for themselves, absolutely not for tourists.
(For more info visit: http://gogreece.about.com/cs/agreekchristmas/a/epiphany.htm)