Above: Pope Francis has his hat put on as he leads the Epiphany mass in Saint Peter's basilica at the Vatican
Pope Francis kisses a statue representing baby Jesus during the Epiphany mass in Vatican's St. Peter's basilica
Traditional Christian ceremonies to mark the feast of Epiphany have taken place across Europe. Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ (God the Son, according to Christian believes) as a human being. In Western Christianity the feast commemorates mainly the visit of the Three Wise Men (aka the Three Kings) to the baby Jesus.The Orthodox faith uses the old Julian calendar in which Christmas falls 13 days after its more widespread Gregorian calendar counterpart on December 25. According to Greek Orthodox Church's traditions a priest will bless the waters by throwing a cross into it as worshippers try to retrieve it.It is strongly believed that catching the cross brings health and prosperity to the person who catches it.
A man holds a wooden cross after retrieving it from the Bosphorus river's Golden Horn, as part of celebrations of the Epiphany day at the Church of Fener Orthodox Patriarchiate in Istanbul, Turkey
In Bulgaria Eastern Orthodox priests throw a cross in the sea and the men dive in - also competing to get to it first. However, in more general terms, it is believed that those who swim in the cold sea on Epiphany Day will be healthy throughout the year.
Above: Bulgarians dive into the icy waters of a lake to catch a cross in Sofia
A Bulgarian man breaks the ice as he wades in the icy waters of the Tundzha river in front of others who... who are dancing and singing during a celebration to commemorate Epiphany Day in the Bulgarian town of KaloferTraditionally, in Spain children receive their Christmas presents delivered by the Three Wise Men on the morning of January 6th. The biblical Magi (aka Three Wise Men or Three Kings) appear in the Gospel of Matthew as a group of distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
During Epiphany celebrations in Poland the Three Kings processions - featuring Caspars, Melchiors and Balthazars along with devils, angels and Herods - go down the streets of over a hundred Polish cities.
Above: Three Kings procession on the streets of Gdansk in Poland
A man dressed as one of the Three Wise Men during the Epiphany procession in Warsaw, PolandBulgarians celebrate Epiphany Day in KaloferIn Venice a traditional regatta that started as a joke in the late 70s has been incorporated in the celebrations of Epiphany Day. Every year five former members of the prestigious Canottieri Bucintoro Society dress as witches ("befane" in Italian) - wearing wigs, colourful skirts and large shawls - to compete in the Regatta delle Befane.An Orthodox believer kisses a wooden cross after a ceremony of the blessing of the waters in AthensA man dressed as Gaspar, one of the Three Wise Man, poses for a photo during the traditional Epiphany parade in Malaga, southern SpainAn Orthodox priest throws holy water to bless the Adriatic Sea, as part of Epiphany Day celebrations in Durres, some 40 km from Albania's capital Tirana.Nikos Konstantopoulos holds a cross as a swimmer kisses it, after a competition to retrieve it from the water in Greece's Flisvos beach, at Paleo Faliro near AthensHe also holds the cross while orthodox faithful kisses itBishop Seraphim of PiraeusEpiphany celebrations in Piraeus, GreeceThessaloniki, GreeceMen fight to retrieve a cross from the icy waters of the Black Sea in Varna, BulgariaA swimmer races to retrieve a wooden cross from the sea in a southern suburb of AthensA wooden cross is seen in the air as swimmers try to retrieve it during a ceremony to bless the water in Greece's Flisvos beach, at Paleo Faliro near AthensBulgarian men dance and sing in the icy waters of the Tundzha river in Kalofer, BulgairaMen dive into the icy waters of the Black Sea in Varna, BulgariaThessaloniki, GreecePeople swim to retrieve a wooden cross from the sea during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in Greece's northern port of ThessalonikiSwimmers prepare to jump into the water at the Golden Horn to retrieve the wooden cross in IstanbulParticipants get into the water from a riverboat as they join the traditional New Year's winter swimming in the Vltava river in central Prague, Czech RepublicFener Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I stands after a mass as part of celebrations of the Epiphany day at the Church of Fener Orthodox Patriarchiate in Istanbul.Greek Orthodox faithful swim in the Golden Horn to reach the wooden crucifix in IstanbulThessaloniki, Greece 
