Do I really want to do this?This day marks the start of the religious calendar in Greece. In churches all over the country, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Epiphany each year with a beautiful morning service of psalms.

The church services are followed by a procession to the water's edge where the priests will throw the cross into the water. The young boys and girls of the town or village dive into the water to retrieve it. The person who brings the cross back to the priest is doubly blessed for the year. Sensibly the priests tie a piece of rope to the cross just in case!

Taking the plungeOn Hydra those who haven't attended the church service in the main Cathedral, start to gather along the harbour wall at around 10:30 in the morning, jostling for the best vantage point to look across the harbour at the outer jetty where the divers will leap in.

The procession from the Cathedral normally starts at 11 and following the priest along the harbour, 'round the west side and along the jetty, which can get so crowded that it's surprising that quite a few people don't end up falling into the sea by mistake.

Got it!Lots of macho boys strip down and try not to shiver in what can be 5 degrees C, while ignoring their anxious mothers who hover with towels and concerned expressions.

After blessing everyone the priest throws the cross in and the brave dive after it.

The cross is retrieved, the blessing given to the worthy and the frozen divers get hustled off to dry and get some well deserved breakfast.

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