Orthodox Christians gathered Tuesday at the Aya Triada Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district to mark the anniversary of the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ with a religious service and traditional cross-diving ceremony.
The service began in the morning with prayers and candle lighting at the church and lasted about three hours. Following the service, clergy and worshippers proceeded in a procession to the historic Moda Pier, where prayers were recited before a cross was cast into the sea.
Dozens of people gathered at the pier to watch the ceremony. About 10 participants, including women, dove into the water to retrieve the cross. The ceremony concluded after the cross was brought back ashore.
Foti Kaçi, a board member of the Kadıköy Greek Orthodox Community Churches, Schools and Cemetery Foundation, said the day commemorates the baptism of Jesus and is celebrated as a religious holiday.
Kaçi said prayers during the service focused on hopes for peace in the coming year. “Above all, we wish for wars to end, for people to live, for hunger to end, and for all of us to be well,” he said.
Commenting on public interest in the ceremony, Kaçi noted that people had missed the tradition. “We have been casting the cross from here for the past three years,” he said.
