His Eminence Archbishop Makarios blesses Anastasios Bakoulis after retrieving the Holy Cross at Sydney Epiphany Festival

·

Whilst Australians welcomed the rain, it did not discourage the thousands of people who went to Yarra Bay today to celebrate the Sydney Epiphany Festival. Thousands flocked to the bay to enjoy a variety of food stalls and watch as men dove in the water to retrieve the Holy Cross.

Over 120 men faced the freezing water at Yarra Bay, Sydney to retrieve the Holy Cross thrown by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios for the 2020 Sydney Epiphany festival. Anastasios Bakoulis from Leichhardt managed to retrieve the cross after His Eminence threw it only a short distance to shore.

The Greek Herald spoke with his family and Anastasios’ sister, Kelly-Maree Bakoulis, about his success in retrieving the cross.

“We’re very proud. He’s participated every year but this was the first year he has ever won,” Kelly-Maree said to The Greek Herald.

“I actually did have a feeling this year, but you never know. But yeah very proud.”

Photo: The Greek Herald
Photo: The Greek Herald

The swim only lasted about 10 seconds before Bakoulis retrieved the cross, however other participants didn’t mind the short length due to the ice-cold temperature of the water.

“It was absolutely freezing,” one participant said when asked about the race. “It was good fun, a bit short, but good fun.”

Following the retrieval of the holy cross, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios delivered a traditional speech about the importance of continuing the Epiphany tradition in the Australian community. Following his speech, His Eminence delivered a personal speech regarding the bushfire tragedy that is currently underway in Australia.

“Brothers and sisters in Christ. As you know, these last days, our nation has had a great tragedy. Human lives have been lost. Thousands of property’s have become ash… over 1 billion animals have been killed. However, our hearts have become open by a shared pain, as all Australians are reaching out to help each other any way possible.”

Photo: The Greek Herald
Photo: The Greek Herald

His Eminence continued to give sincere thanks for the efforts of the Greek Orthodox community in Australia, in assisting to the bushfire appeal and giving time to help those affected by the bushfire crisis.

“For this reason, our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has already started to raise funds to assist with the damage from the bushfires. I would like to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your resources to our appeal, and I assure you that God is with us, acting through all of you.

By the love you show, by the charity that you give, and by the prayers that you raise up to him. Please keep going. Give more. Love more. Help more. And together, as one family, we will be the light of Christ in our Australian society.”

greek film festival melbourne

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Panathinaikos BC overpower Adelaide 36ers with second-half surge in Sydney

Panathinaikos delivered a dominant second-half performance to defeat the Adelaide 36ers 106-89 at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.

Greek Australian singer Vassy withdraws from Russian Intervision contest

Greek Australian singer and producer Vasiliki Karagiorgos, known professionally as Vassy, has withdrawn at the last minute.

Australia formally recognises Palestinian state amid global shift

Australia has formally recognised Palestine as a sovereign and independent state, marking a landmark change in foreign policy.

Kostas Sloukas praises Greek Australian fans as Panathinaikos arrive in Sydney

Panathinaikos BC touched down in Sydney this week for the second leg of the 7th Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament.

From family legacy to the Federal Court: A look into Justice Anastasis Liveris’ legal career

In an exclusive interview with The Greek Herald, the Greek Australian judge reflected on how he felt to achieve this major career milestone.

You May Also Like

From Newcastle to Greek reality TV: Meet Maria Maroulis

From Newcastle to a Greek reality TV show: Meet Maria Maroulis. She speaks exclusively to The Greek Herald.

Greece’s Deputy Tourism Minister: ‘Greece and Australia have strong ties thanks to the diaspora’

The Deputy Minister of Tourism in Greece, Sofia Zacharaki, expects a noticeably better tourist season in 2021, she reveals to The Greek Herald.

NSW truck driver charged over death of Soula Catsaitis

A truck driver has officially been charged for the death of Soula Catsaitis on Mangrove Mountain last month.