HUFFINGTON POST
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| Swimmers celebrate together after Lukas Kokinis from Greece, second right, retrieved a wooden cross. |
BULGARIA---Thousands of young men leapt into icy rivers and lakes across eastern Europe on Sunday to retrieve crucifixes cast by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.
By tradition, a wooden cross is cast into the water and it is believed that the person who retrieves it will be freed from evil spirits. Some
Orthodox Christian churches, including those in Russia, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, follow a different calendar, and Sunday was
Christmas Eve, with
Epiphany on Jan. 19. [
link]
