Swimming for the Holy Cross | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Swimming for the Holy Cross is a religious and cultural event that takes place every year on Epiphany in rivers and lakes across Serbia. Additionally, the Epiphany swimming is known in other Orthodox countries as well.

Epiphany is the day when John the Baptist immersed Jesus Christ in the waters of the River Jordan, and God revealed Himself from the heavens. Jesus Christ was baptized at the age of thirty, which, according to the Jewish laws of that time, granted him the right to preach. On that day, God revealed Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or the Holy Trinity.

Orthodox believers commemorate this day on January 19th, in those churches that follow the Julian calendar, including the Serbian Orthodox Church. On this day, water, whether it be rivers, lakes, or seas, is blessed. It is consumed for the purification of the soul and body, and people also swim in it for the same reason. It is believed that the Epiphany water never spoils because it contains the power of the Holy Spirit.

Alongside processions and the blessing of water, Epiphany is traditionally celebrated through swimming for the Holy Cross. Since this day falls in the middle of winter in most Orthodox countries, when water is often frozen, only the bravest and healthiest individuals dare to participate in the swimming event. The condition for swimmers is to have observed the Christmas fast and to have undergone a medical examination because swimming in icy water is not for everyone.

It is also important that the swimming event is approached non-competitively. Instead, all participants, united in faith, strive to retrieve the cross from the water. The person who reaches the cross first is believed to be blessed with luck throughout the year.

This tradition is mentioned in some places in Serbia in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is assumed that it was previously prohibited during the Ottoman rule, and it is certain that it was banned from 1941 due to the German occupation during World War II. Then came communism, a time when celebrating Christian holidays was not popular.

However, in the late 1990s, Serbs revived this religious event in several places, and each year more parishes organize swimming for the Holy Cross. After the revival of this tradition, the central event was held at Lake Sava in Belgrade. Members of the Serbian Army participate in the event, and state officials are present, while the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church usually blesses the water. This is preceded by the liturgy in St. George's Church on Banovo Brdo and a procession to the lake.

However, Zemun later became the primary location. The Patriarch serves the liturgy in St. Nicholas Church, followed by a procession to the Danube shore, where the water is blessed and the swimming for the Holy Cross takes place. Several hundred citizens attend these events in the capital city, and in 2020, over 200 swimmers participated in Zemun, including four girls. The female population is increasingly present in Serbian waters during Epiphany.

Besides the most populous city in Serbia, this event is held throughout the country and in the diaspora. You can learn more about it through the media and on the official website of the Serbian Orthodox Church.