The Feast of Theophany, or the Blessing of the Water, is one of the greatest feasts of the Orthodox Church. Today we celebrated the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. He did not need to be baptized for his own sake, He was without sin, but he was baptized for our salvation. He became like us that we might become like Him. He took upon himself all of our sins that we might be saved. As always, in the Orthodox Churches of Vlora this feast was celebrated in all the churches. After the Divine Liturgy the Blessing of the Water was conducted on the premises of the churches. In the Church of St. Theodores, after the Divine Liturgy, all believers were directed to a place called Moli of Vlora. After the ceremony, the Cross was thrown into the sea by Father Kostandin Prifti. The Cross this year was caught by an Orthodox believer, Klodi Shani.
In Selenica at the Church of Saint Athanasios the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the morning, during which the greeting was read of the Metropolitan of Berati, Vlora and Kanina, His Grace Ignati, addressed to the believers on the occasion of this holy day.
After the ceremonies were performed in the Church, the believers headed to the Vjosa River. Again this year the four young men of Selenica braved the cold waters of the river and swam in the water to catch the Cross. This time the Cross was caught by the young Mateo Bombaj. Afterwards the believers honored the Cross and wished Mateo to have a prosper year.
Atë Spiro Bulika
