January
January, Epiphany
Swim for the Holy Cross and Pihtijada
At Epiphany (Theophany) the bravest swim for the Holy Cross on the town lake, and the swim comes with a contest in making aspic (pihtije).
- When
- 19 January, at Epiphany
- Where
- The town lake on the Vlasina; liturgy in the town church
- Organiser
- Tourist Organisation of Vlasotince, with the Church Municipality and others
Next
19 January 2027
The feast is on 19 January · programme to be announced, Town lake. Source: Tourist Organisation of Vlasotince, checked 2 October 2026
Where it falls in the year: 19 January, Epiphany.
The swim takes place on the great feast of Epiphany, 19 January, on the town lake. Alongside it there is Pihtijada (aspic contest), a competition in making aspic, because custom says aspic should be made on that day.
For 2026 the organisers announced this schedule: the liturgy at 7:30, the swimmers’ medical check from 9 to 11, Pihtijada from 11, and the swim for the cross at 12.
The organisers in 2026 were the Tourist Organisation, the Church Municipality of Vlasotince, the Association of Admirers of the Holy Mount Athos, the association Loza, the public utility companies Vodovod and Komunalac, the Cultural Centre, SRC Vlasina, the Health Centre and individuals.
That year marked the 21st year since people began swimming for the cross in Vlasotince. In that time the swim did not take place twice: once during the coronavirus pandemic and once because of a disagreement between the organisers of the time.
Recent years
- 2024
The seventeenth swim, 118 participants. The first to reach the cross was Milan Dimitrijević.
- 2025
The eighteenth swim, 100 participants. The first to reach the cross was Stefan Vicko Đokić.
- 2026
The nineteenth swim, 108 swimmers from Vlasotince, Leskovac, Niš, Vranje, Paraćin and other places. The first to reach the cross was Milan Dimitrijević.
