Epiphany (Yordanovden)
6 January 2026 — Bright waters and good health to every home!
Epiphany, known in Bulgaria as Yordanovden, is celebrated on 6 January and commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. In church tradition it is also called Theophany, the manifestation of God, and the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In Bulgaria a priest blesses the water and throws a cross into a river, lake or sea. Young men dive in to retrieve it, and whoever succeeds is believed to be blessed with health and luck for the year. A famous custom is the men's horo, a line dance, performed in the icy waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer. The feast also closes the so-called Unclean Days: according to folk belief, the waters remain “unbaptised” until then, and their blessing purifies them and drives evil spirits away. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church follows the Revised Julian calendar, so the date coincides with 6 January on the civil calendar. The feast has no astronomical connection and does not depend on the phases of the Moon. May the water and this day bring health to everyone.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver dove made of pale glowing dots and thin lines, like a constellation, gliding slowly across the night sky
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