Epiphany (holiday) the eve of Epiphany. The priest goes door to door with the cross and a branch of basil to "sanctify" or "brighten" the rooms by sprinkling them with holy water. The "protagiasi" casts away the goblins ; bonfires are also lit in some places for that purpose. The "Great Blessing" happens in church on the day of the Epiphany. . Then the "Dive of the Cross" is performed: a cross is throwned by the priest in the sea, a nearby river, a lake or an ancient roman cistern (as in Athens). According to popular belief, this ritual gives the water
Epiphany (holiday) have 29 days). The celebration of this feast features blessing of water and solemn processions with the sacred Tabot. In Finland, Epiphany is called "loppiainen", a name which goes back to the 1600s. In the 1500s the Swedish-Finnish Lutheran church called Epiphany "Day of the Holy Three Kings", while before this, the older term "Epiphania" was used. In the Karelian language Epiphany is called "vieristä", meaning cross, from the Orthodox custom of submerging a cross three times to bless water on this day. Today, in the Lutheran church, Epiphany is a day dedicated to a focus on missionary work in