Light and Water

-  6th January. 

The end of the Christmas and New Year festivities. 

A public holiday here. Another 3 day weekend. And a very important Orthodox celebration. 

January 6th is................ 

- 12th Night

Depends . Elsewhere it could be January 5, the eve of Epiphany, or January 6

- Time to Dismantle the Xmas Tree

You'd better get your Xmas decorations down before the night of the 6th. It is said to bring bad luck and all the baggage from the previous year if you don't .My father used to say a wicked witch would come and cause havoc.

- Epiphany 

Commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

- Three Kings

Celebrating the visit of the 3 Kings to Bethlehem 

- Blessing of the waters. 

In Greece, on Poros, after the inevitable church service the Priests and bigwigs board a small boat and move out into the strait. A cross is thrown into the sea 3 times and the third time a group of hardy young people, mainly male, dive into the freezing waters to be the first to retrieve the cross. The lucky one is blessed by the Priest and is guaranteed a year of good luck. From what I remember he, or she, also gets a reward from the Mayor

- Also known as the 'Festival of Lights' or Theophania. 

- Name day for those named Fotis (male), Fotini (female) or Jordan

-Tomorrow

January 7  is the Feast of St John.

Name day for Yiannis or Yianna. John, Joan, Jan and Joanne. That's half of Greece. 

As they say here 'a house without a John is not a real home'. 

And the next day, the 8th, schools reopen. 

Grandson Jamie took the last hydro foil to Athens tonight to continue his studies. Along with a tupperware bowl of his Nanas meat pies and sweet bread filled with Nutella. The latter from the bakery.