@sarconsulurals · Post #3053 · 01/21/2026, 02:47 AM
☦️Epiphany and the Cross-Diving Tradition On the feast of the Epiphany, believers in a number of countries take part in a folk-religious tradition known as cross diving. 🔹 After the blessing of the water, a priest throws a cross into a body of water — a river, lake, or the sea. 🔹 Participants then swim to retrieve the cross from the water. 🔹 It is believed that the person who retrieves the cross first receives a special blessing for the year ahead. 🌍 This tradition is especially common in countries with a warmer climate than Russia, such as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, as well as in several other countries and regions. 🇷🇺🇿🇦 This tradition is also practiced within the Russian-speaking diaspora in South Africa. 📸Photo (Cape Town) 🔗Source: https://t.me/Capetown_SouthAfrica_chat/50655 #Epiphany#Orthodoxy#ChristianTraditions#Culture#Religion#FolkTraditions#SouthAfrica#CapeTown