Villagers travel on a horse cart to attend the Orthodox Epiphany Day celebrations in Serdanu village, 50 km (31 miles) northwest of Bucharest. Reuters photo/Radu Sigheti
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Bulgarian men perform the traditional Bulgarian "Horo" dance in the icy winter waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer, as part of the Epiphany Day celebrations. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retreives it will be healthy trough the year as well as all those who dance in the icy waters. AFP photo / Dimitar Dilkoff
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A faithful man retrieves a cross from the sea thrown by a priest for the blessing of the waters during the Epiphany Day at Athens coastal area. AFP photo / Louisa Gouliamaki
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A child holds the cross as believers sing and dance at the river Tundzha, as they celebrate Epiphany in the town of Kalofer. Traditionally, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year. AP Photo / Valentina Petrova
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Pope Benedict XVI waves as he leaves after leading the Eucharist for the Solemnity of Epiphany at St Peter's basilica at the Vatican. The pontiff appointed two new bishops during the mass. AFP photo / Gabriel Bouys
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A man holds a wooden cross after retrieving it from the sea during an Epiphany ceremony in Greece's northern port of Thessaloniki. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day are held across the country on river banks, seafronts and lakes. AFP photo / Sakis Mitrolidis
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Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (C) leads the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul. Greek Orthodox swimmers raced to retrieve the wooden crucifix thrown into the Golden Horn in Bosphorus by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as part of Epiphany Day celebrations. Reuters photo / Osman Orsal
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Two newly ordained bishops, Charles John Brown (R) and Marek Solczynski (L), lie prostrate in front of Pope Benedict XVI during a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at Vatican City. The Pontiff also held a mass to celebrate The Epiphany, seen as the culmination of the Christmas festive period. Reuters photo / Alessandro Bianchi
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Men dressed as "La Befana", an imaginary old woman who is thought to bring gifts to children during the festival of Epiphany, row boats down the Grand Canal in Venice. The orthodox Christian holiday of Epiphany is observed as the date when the Three Wise Men visited baby Jesus. Reuters photo / Manuel Silvestri
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Bulgarians dive into icy water as they compete to catch a cross in the middle of a lake in Sofia as part of Epiphany Day celebrations. It is believed that the man who is the first to grab the cross, thrown into the water by an Eastern Orthodox priest, will be healthy throughout the year. AFP photo / Nikolay Doychinov
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A man holds a wooden cross after retrieving it from the sea during an Epiphany ceremony in Greece's northern port of Thessaloniki. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day are held across the country on river banks, seafronts and lakes. AFP photo / Sakis Mitrolidis
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Greek Orthodox swimmer Apostolis Oikomoniv holds the wooden cross in the Bosphorus river's Golden Horn after a mass as part of celebrations of the Epiphany day at the Church of Fener Orthodox Patriarchiate in Istanbul. AFP photo / Mustafa Ozer
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Bishop Anthimos of Thessaliniki throws a wooden cross, to bless the water during an Epiphany ceremony in Greece's northern port city of Thessaloniki. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany day were held across Greece on river banks, seafronts and lakes. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. AP photo / Nikolas Giakoumidis
