January 6th = the official Loukoumades Day.
On January 6th, the "twelve days of Christmas" officially come to an end. This day takes on a special meaning in Cyprus. All over the world, the Greek orthodox observe the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist, in the river Jordan. The Greek word for Epiphany is Theophania meaning the "appearance of God" referring to the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In coastal areas, after church, the priest goes to the nearest port or marina. Having blessed the waters, he throws a large cross into the sea. A group of young men dive into the sea trying to retrieve the cross. The one who gets it is the "winner" and is considered to be the lucky person of the year. Theophania (Epiphany) is also called Fota meaning light and relating to the day being a Feast of Light since Jesus Christ for the Greek Orthodox is the only true light. Many wicked spirits, elves or goblins called kalikantzaroi are said to be active during the twelve days of Christmas and haunt people's homes. Tradition has it that some xerotiana (doughnuts) or sausages are thrown to the roof of houses to banish these spirits for the rest of the year. In many villages children go from door to door singing the Epiphany Jingles and asking for a last holiday gift which is invariably some money - called pouloustrina in Cyprus - and , of course some loukoumades - traditional Cyprus doughnuts.
, I will have to rectify that soon .
