The Gathering

The gathering on the morning of January 6th in our small Greek fishing village was much the same as it is every year on that date.  

And maybe that is why I think it is one of my very favorite celebration days in this expat life of ours.  

The Gathering 2025

The minute the bells rang out from our village church, the excitement began building among those of us gathered together. Even though we knew that a processional would be arriving from the church and what would happen at the harbor once it got there, the anticipation rippled through the crowd just as it has every year.   

Singing an Epiphany Kalanda - a tradition

We were gathered for the Blessing of the Waters; the day of the Epiphany, or Theophany (both words stem from the Greek words for 'revelation' or 'revelation of God.) Some of you may know the day as Three Kings Day. It is the festival day celebrating the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Jesus Christ as God and it also celebrates Christ's baptism in the Jordan River. 

Traditions and celebrations date back decades in our village

Celebrations such as the one in our village take place in Greek communities around the world and they have taken place for centuries. Archaeological evidence shows that celebrations of the baptism were celebrated by Greek speaking parts of the Roman Empire as far back as 200 AD. And even though we don't know enough Greek to understand what is being said in the ceremony, there is something about helping carry on such traditions and celebrations that makes the day extra special.

We couldn't help pondering how similar today's ceremony was to those held decades ago in our village.

To the Cross they swam

We'd arrived early to join friends for breakfast at one of the harborside restaurants.  Our table at the side of the road gave us a spot for viewing the religious ceremony that would take place as well as a strategic spot to greet friends and neighbors as they began arriving for the midmorning event. Greeks, expats, residents, visitors, young and old gathered to watch the brief but beautiful ceremony.

A toss of the Cross

Our Pappas Panayotis blessed the cross and dipped it twice into the harbor.  The third toss was out into the middle of the harbor. As it landed, a group of swimsuit-clad faithful dove in to retrieve it.  

The Cross is returned

A young girl - from a much larger group of swimmers than we've had in the past -- retrieved the cross this year. Applause rang out as she raised it out of the water. 

The end of the holiday season comes to the village

This day also marks an unofficial end to the Christmas and New Year's holiday.  Soon the seasonal decorations will come down and the focus will turn to spring, the reopening of stores and the influx of tourists.

But for today, we gathered as a village at the water, just as we will next year and hopefully for many more years to come.

We hope the New Year has started off well for you and yours. May your year be filled with travels and traditions.  Thanks for being with us and until next time, safe travels ~

In Greece January 6 ~ 'The Festival of Light'

'Kali Kronia!'  (Happy New Year!) 'Kronia Polli!'  (Many Years!) 'Kalimera!' (Good Moring!)

Agios Nikolaos - January 6, 2020

We were stopped often as we made our way down the main street of our Greek village this morning. We called out greetings, received greetings, shook hands, and kissed cheeks as we passed friends and neighbors who were gathering at harborside.

We were blessed with blue sky and sunshine

It seemed as if the whole village - from those whose family roots are generations deep to those new seedling expats in the area -- had turned out for the annual Blessing of the Waters.

This day, the sixth day of January, is commonly known in the Christian world as Epiphany or Three Kings Day.  In Greece it is a feast day (a national holiday, to be sure) called the 'festival of light' (ton foton in Greek) and the day that marks the official end to the Christmas holidays.

The papas and his processional

In the Greek Orthodox Church, Epiphany is celebrated as the revelation of Christ as the messiah and second person of the trinity, at his baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, according to the Athens Centre. (Athens Centre offers classes in Modern Greek, poetry, art, and cultural events.)

Blessings are being offered in Greek

As part of the traditional celebration, the village papas (priest) offers a 'Blessing of the Waters.

In our fishing village, Agios Nikolaos, overlooking the Messinian Bay, the blessing is an event that can't be missed. Speaking of blessings, this year we were blessed by having some of the nicest weather that we've ever experienced at this celebration. In previous year's we've nearly frozen or been drenched with rain during the brief late morning ceremony.

Time to toss the Cross

We heard the church bells announcing this special day in the early morning hours. Their ringing echoed up the hillside to our Stone House on the Hill. They rang again later in the morning calling worshippers to the church. The third time their joyous clanging filled the air was as the papas and his procession brought the cross from the church to the harbor's edge.

One diver braves the cold water this year

Reciting a blessing he tossed the cross into the harbor and pulled it back, then he repeated his actions a second time. Meanwhile one young man brave enough to dive into the water to retrieve the cross, had stripped to his swim trunks and was ready to go in. ( In previous years several young men have braved the temperatures.)

Retrieving the Cross

The third toss - the crescendo of the blessing -- was made, the young swimmer jumped in, the crowd cheered as he retrieved the cross and swam to the papas to receive his blessing.

Refreshments are served!

Then it was time for refreshments. Platters of baked goods were brought out from nearby restaurants and tavernas.  The long tables at harborside, where the fishermen usually prepare, display and sell their daily catch, were turned into serving tables. Beverages ranged from tea to Metaxa, Greek brandy.

Agios Nikolaos on the Messinian Bay

It was over in just a few minutes, far less time than it took people to arrive and gather for it. But such a significant event that people here (like villages, towns and city's throughout the country), took a break in their day to bless the water. It is this type of celebration and these age-old traditions, that we adore about our Greek village life.

We thank you for being with us again this week and our fingers are crossed that Feedburner sends this post to your inbox as it did last week.  We appreciate the time you spend with us and again our wishes for a Happy New Year and happy adventures.  We will be back next week if all goes as planned from the tropical shores of Hawaii. Stay tuned - you never know what adventures we might have there.