Epiphany in Greece is known as Theofania o Fota. The first sanctification of the Epiphany (The Enlightenment) takes place in church on the eve of the holiday. Afterwards, the priest goes from house to house holding a cruzar, cruz and a basil branch. As he walks through each house, he uses the basil to sprinkle (bless) all the areas of the home.
An old custom in Crete , which is almost forgotten today, was the preparation of the fotokoliva (boiled wheat with peas) on the eve of Epiphany. The fotokoliva was eaten por the people, but they also fed it to their livestock, which was believed to insure good...
continue reading...
