In photos: Epiphany celebrations amid the pandemic

Christians on Wednesday marked Epiphany in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which hindered celebrations in many places but didn't stop some defying warnings to honor traditions.

An Orthodox worshipper lights a candle during the Epiphany celebrations at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George amid the spread of COVID-19, in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 6, 2021.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus’ baptism during Epiphany. The annual procession that usually draws thousands of participants was scaled down and held with few spectators due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

People taking part in an Epiphany procession in Warsaw, Poland, Jan. 6, 2021.

Citizens of the mountain town of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, clad in traditional dresses stand in the icy Tundzha River, some waving national flags, to recover a crucifix cast by a priest in an old ritual marking the feast of Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2021. The legend goes that the person who retrieves the wooden cross will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy throughout the year.

A young boy holds a cross as believers stand in the icy Tundzha River, some waving national flags, to recover a crucifix thrown by a priest in an old ritual marking the feast of Epiphany, central Bulgaria, Jan. 6, 2021.

Dozens of citizens of the mountain town of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, clad in traditional dresses stand in the icy Tundzha River, some waving national flags, to recover a crucifix tossed by a priest in an old ritual marking the feast of Epiphany, central Bulgaria, Jan. 6, 2021.

Greek Orthodox member Vasili Kurkcu, 44, kisses a wooden crucifix after retrieving it in the Golden Horn during the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Jan. 6, 2021. With no visiting faithful from Greece or other Christian Orthodox countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, only two swimmers raced to retrieve the cross, which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, hands a wooden crucifix to a man who jumped into the waters of the Golden Horn to retrieve it, during the Epiphany ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 6, 2021.

Migrant children play with their new toys after advocates served them traditional Rosca de Reyes (king's cake pastry) and gave them presents during the Epiphany celebrations in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, Jan. 6, 2021.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, lights a candle as he arrives at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul to lead the Epiphany Mass, Turkey, Jan. 6, 2021.

A man throws a cross into the sea as policemen move to detain him during Epiphany in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where a strong religious presence of Orthodox Christians called for the blessing of the waters to continue, Greece, Jan. 6, 2021.

Pope Francis leads a Mass for the Feast of Epiphany in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2021.

A worker disinfectants an icon of the Virgin Mary as a limited congregation attends the service for the feast of the Epiphany in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Piraeus, the port of Athens, Greece, Jan. 6, 2021. The Greek government relented and allowed limited attendance at churches celebrating the feast of the Epiphany on Wednesday, reversing a ban on attendance designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Nuns walk in the empty St. Peter's Square as Pope Francis delivers the Angelus noon prayer from his studio, at the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2021.

Ludivina Herrera Crespo, 70, wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, stands next to Christmas presents to be distributed by the three wise men or kings at the Canada Real shanty town, outside Madrid, Spain, Jan. 5, 2021.

A shopper browses at a street stall selling dolls, as people shop for Three Kings Day gifts amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in central Mexico City, Mexico, Jan. 5, 2021. In Mexico, it is customary for people to give gifts on the Jan. 6 religious holiday of Epiphany, celebrated as Three Kings Day, to commemorate the arrival of the Magi, or three wise men bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.

A child reacts as he discovers a wrapped gift during the morning of Three Kings Day, in Barcelona, Spain, Jan. 6, 2021. In Spain, it is customary for people to give gifts on the Jan. 6 religious holiday of Epiphany, celebrated as Three Kings Day, to commemorate the arrival of the Magi, or three wise men bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.

A limited congregation attends the service for the feast of the Epiphany in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Piraeus, the port of Athens, Greece, Jan. 6, 2021.