Orthodox churches across the Mid-South gathered on the banks of the Mississippi River for a beloved annual tradition – “The Blessing of the Waters.”
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church and St. John Orthodox Church commemorated the blessing on Mud Island as part of the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany.“Traditionally, young people would retrieve the Holy Cross by diving for it. The person who retrieves the cross would be blessed for the entire year. While the Mediterranean Ocean or other warmer climate areas may be suitable for this, the Mississippi River is not. For this reason, the cross will have a rope tied around it in order to retrieve it,” ABC 24 reported.
“One of the things that binds and unites us as a city is the River,” Rev. Father Simon Thomas of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church said. “We all share it. We invite everyone from all faiths to come join us in blessing our mighty Mississippi and the City of Memphis on this special day.”
The Blessing of the Mississippi River. pic.twitter.com/3jfbnYAO4G
— David Twombly (@SillyUncleDavi1) January 8, 2022
