In the Orthodox calendar the feast of the Epiphany is called 'Theophania', meaning the manifestation of God. Epiphany is the most ancient feast, after Easter, relating to the Lord and is observed by the Christian Church on January 6.
The first evidence attesting to the feast of the Epiphany comes from Clement of Alexandria who died about 215 AD. He relates that a Gnostic group observed the Baptism of our Lord on January 6 believing that it was at the time of Baptism that Divinity took the flesh in Christ.
The date of January 6 was selected because according to some ancient reckoning the day began to grow longer on that date and so it was celebrated by pagans as the day of victory of light over darkness. In
The 25th of December began to be celebrated in
When the Eastern Epiphany day was introduced in the West, the already celebrated Nativity on December 25th remained as such, and January 6th, although accepted as the day of Baptism, took the character of manifestation of Christ's Divinity to the pagan world. Hence, the Magi, figuratively representing the entire heathen world, were taken to be the recipients of the saving grace of the newly manifested Christ. It is only the Armenian Church in the East that still celebrates the Nativity and Epiphany together on January 6.
The most characteristic feature of the Orthodox day of Epiphany, or Theophania, is the sanctifying of waters by invoking the Spirit that appeared in the form of a dove over Christ at the time of His Baptism. The Orthodox receive sanctified water at the end of the special service of Epiphany and with it sanctify their homes, gardens, and other possessions while some preserve it for the entire year partaking of it at times of illness and other personal or family adversities. The twelve days between the Nativity of our Lord, December 25th, and the day of the Epiphany, January 6th, is called Dodekaemeron (twelve festal days) and is considered to be one continuous festive period. On December 26th, the Virgin Mary who gave birth to our Lord is honoured, and on January 1, the day of Circumcision of our lord is celebrated. The festive character of the period is observed by abolishing all kinds of fasts, apart from the day prior to the Epiphany when the service of the Great Agiasmos is performed.
An old custom in Crete , which is almost forgotten today, was the preparation of the fotokoliva (boiled wheat with peas) on the eve of Epiphany. The fotokoliva was eaten by the people, but they also fed it to their livestock, which was believed to insure good health and fortune in the homes.
Posted by: Constantinos | January 06, 2010 at 09:41 PM
Very nice this post. If you had pictures from your own town would be much better!
Posted by: Phivos | January 07, 2010 at 06:19 PM
You're right, Phivos. I wish I had some photos of the sanctifying of waters in Larnaca to post. Maybe next year.
Posted by: Anastasia | January 07, 2010 at 10:51 PM
Thank you very much for this very interesting piece of information. Isn't it sad that so many of our old customs and traditions fade away in time?
Posted by: Anastasia | January 07, 2010 at 10:54 PM
Thanks for this very interesting info on Epiphany. It's amazing how much I've learnt from you, Anastasia!Have a very good night.
Posted by: Laura | January 07, 2010 at 11:26 PM
About 4 years ago I was in Hania, Crete on January 6. It was so cold on Epiphany day and raining. Yet many brave young men jumped into the freezing water to get the cross. Such a wonderful tradition you have. Thank you for the details on the history of that tradition.
Posted by: Alexia M | January 09, 2010 at 04:06 PM
There was a lot I didn't know about the history of Epiphany in the greek orthodox church. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Stefania | January 10, 2010 at 11:40 AM