On Epiphany, the Church celebrates the baptism of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, in the Jordan River by Saint John the Baptist.
On this day, a great (great) Epiphany water blessing is performed both over vessels with water in temples and near water bodies, rivers, and the sea. All believers and their homes, and often their places of work, are sprinkled with the blessed water. Holy water is kept throughout the year and is used for drinking or sprinkling as a sign of cleansing from sins and receiving God's blessing, reports Nova TV.
In Kalofer , the so-called men's dance was held in the icy waters of the Tundzha River, as it is believed that anyone who enters the icy waters in January will be kept away from diseases throughout the year.
Traditionally, preparations begin the evening before Epiphany. Songs are sung and red wine is drunk. In the morning - accompanied by bagpipes, the men who will enter the water walk through the streets of Kalofer to wake up the people.
A little before 8 o'clock, the water in Tundzha was consecrated, and the cross was thrown and saved, to be given, as tradition dictates, to the youngest man in the dance - Anton Aleksiev, who is one year and five months old and was on his father's shoulders.
After the ritual, all the guests of the city of revolutionary Hristo Botev also entered the river. Due to the warmer weather this year, the water dance was longer, and all those who took part in it said that the experience was "unique".
For the tenth consecutive year in Shipka, the first to "save" the Epiphany cross was thrown.
By tradition, the wooden crucifix is thrown at dawn, and this year a total of 50 young men from the city and other settlements entered the waters of the Selska River to take part in the traditional men's dance, BTA reports.
The fastest was 18-year-old Lazar Darakchiev, who has Shipka roots but lives and studies in Plovdiv. By tradition, he passed the crucifix to the youngest participant in the ritual – Borislav Byalov, who is seven years old and has been participating in the ritual since he was 2 years old.