The Feast of the Holy Epiphany was celebrated with great "pomp and splendor" at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul on Jan. 6 as Orthodox believers in several counties joined in colorful celebrations held by Christians worldwide.

After the divine liturgy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along with the church hierarchs, officials, and faithful, proceeded in a solemn procession to the waterfront of the Phanar in the Turkish capital where the patrriarch is based.

There, the Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the ceremony of the diving of the Holy Cross into the Golden Horn, the Orthodox Times reported.

The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated in Western traditions on Jan, 6, 12 days after Christmas is one of the most important Christian celebrations.

It marks the visit of the three Magi, or wise men, to baby Jesus, bringing gifts to proclaim him.

Each year, Christians around the world observe this special day in commemoration of this miraculous event.

More than 70 people from Istanbul, which used to be known as Constantinople, Imbros, Greece, and other countries dived into the waters of the Golden Horn according to the Orthodox Times, using the news service, Pomisna.

Bartholomew presented a golden cross as a blessing, and blessed the swimmers, offering them small commemorative gifts.

The feast of the Epiphany was also celebrated on Jan 6 in the Ukrainian capital at a service in the St. Michael's domed Cathedral led by Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and all of Ukraine.

After the reading of the Gospel, Metropolitan Epifaniy delivered a sermon and offered a special prayer to the Lord during this time of peril for Ukraine when Russia is waging war on its territory.                          

During the service, prayers were also offered for the soldiers defending Ukraine, for the authorities and the nation, and for the repose of the souls of all fallen defenders of the homeland and peaceful citizens who perished during the war.

At the end of the solemn service, Metropolitan Epifaniy performed the Rite of the Great Blessing of Water in the cathedral, sprinkling the congregation with the holy water.

Epiphany is observed on Jan. 6 by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Christians of other Western traditions.

Eastern traditions that follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 19, since their Christmas Eve falls on Jan. 6.