Status: 15.01.2024, 19:00 PM
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Standing in line for the blessing: After the consecration of the water, Archimandrite Georgios Siomos (right) wet the heads of the visitors with holy water. © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
In Geretsried, the year begins with a wet ritual. The consecration of the water in the indoor swimming pool. Happiness and blessings were at the center of the action.
Geretsried – The blessing of the water on Sunday in the inter-municipal indoor swimming pool proved to be a wet affair, even for those who did not swim. Archimandrite (priest) Georgios Siomos generously distributed holy water from his altar to the bystanders with a tuft of fir branches – cantor Petros Mastoridis, the Catholic priest Andreas Vogelmeier, mayor Michael Müller and Evangelos Karassakalidis, chairman of the Greek community of Geretsried. They considered the small shower to be a good sign for the New Year.
Consecration of the water in Geretsried for the tenth time
Happiness and God's blessing are the hallmarks of the traditional celebration. The water consecration in the indoor pool has already become a permanent fixture. For the tenth time, representatives of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany took part in the event, and for the second time in the new, intercommunal indoor swimming pool. On January 6, they celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. It is regarded by the Orthodox as the consummation of his birth. Actually, the sea, the lakes and rivers are blessed so that no harm befalls the people and animals in them, but public baths are also enjoyed. In Geretsried, the ceremony always takes place one week after Epiphany. Accompanied by singing and prayers, Archimandrite Georgios Siomos from Munich dipped a wooden cross into a vat of holy water and then threw it into the pool. At that moment, three young men and a young woman jumped into the water and rushed for the cross. Whoever reaches it first is said to be the lucky guy in 2024.
The first person to cross was Nikolaos Karpouzidis. © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
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This year it was Theodorus Mastoridis in the first round and Nikolaos Karpouzidis in the second. There was also a children's competition in the shallow part of the pool. Alexandros Mastoridis and Alexandros Aiwaliotis won here. All swimmers kissed the cross and also received the blessing of holy water with the tuft of fir trees from the archimandrite.
Believers should live in harmony
Pastor Andreas Vogelmeier, who attended the ceremony for the first time, said that water has a cleansing effect, also in a figurative sense. He wished that the faithful of all churches would live in harmony "strengthened and encouraged by the symbol of water." About 80 visitors – mostly members of the Greek community of Geretsried – queued up after the blessing of the water to have their heads wetted with holy water by the archimandrite.
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New Year's celebration in the council chambers
Afterwards, the feast of Vasilopita, the Greek New Year, was celebrated in the council chambers. The women had baked ten large yeast dough cakes, called vasilopitas, in which two cent coins were hidden. Those who find them in their play are in for a particularly happy and successful year. In his speech, Mayor Michael Müller emphasized how grateful he was that the Greek community in Geretsried was so strongly involved. "You are part of the cultural life of the city," he said. Community thrives on the fact that each individual contributes to its success. Because Geretsried is so rich in nations and national teams, the contributions are correspondingly colourful, diverse – and sometimes even wet. By Tanja Lühr
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