19.01.2014.
Swimming for Holy Cross
In honor of the great Christian holiday of Epiphany today in several cities in Serbia a traditional swimming for Holy Cross was held today . In Belgrade , the contest was held in Ada Ciganlija and in Zemun , on the Danube . Members of the Serbian Armed Forces have participated in swimming for the Holy Cross in Belgrade , Sremska Kamenica , Krusevac and elsewhere .The winner of this year's 16 traditional Holy Cross Swimming Contest at Ada Ciganlija was a 17 year old boy Uros Nikolic from Ćuprija , a member of association SVIBOR . Nikolic was in competition with 12 competitors who reached the cross after swimming which symbolically represent Jesus’s age. Uros lifted the 15 pound ice cross made of holy water . This is not Uros’s first victory in the Epiphany swimming . He achieved the same feat last year at Bagrdansko lake near Jagodina , and he had also won the same contest in 2012.
The event at the Ada Ciganlija lake , began with service in the church of St. Djordje in Banovo Brdo , from where the procession , led by Bishop Remezijanski Andrej, the Envoy of Serbian Patriarch Irinej including the representatives of the municipality Cukarica came down to Aada at noon. The race was attended by 58 competitors , 12 of whom were in the race, including 4 teams each with 3 swimmers from the gendarmerie , the Serbian Army , SVIBOR and citizenship.In front of a large number of people who gathered in Zemun a central manifestation of the traditional swimming competition for the Holy Cross was held at Kej oslobodjenja. Serbian Patriarch Irinej served Liturgy in the church of St. Nikola , followed by his homily on Epiphany given on the quay where he blessed the best swimmers. This year as many as 367 participants registered for the contest. The winner is a former water polo player , today an entrepreneur Dejan Dimitrijevic , who has made a third victory .
Patriarch Irinej presented Dejan with the Holy Cross while also awarding him the medal of Svebor Association of Belgrade .This event was helped by the representatives of the Serbian Army . This year's event was attended by members of the 204th Aviation Brigade . In addition to the specific delegation at the brigade level , ithe following participated in the swimming contest for Epiphany Cross- deputy commander of the 252 training aviation squadron major Bosko Serbedzija and major Darko Jevtic , togetther with sergeant Milos Roksandic of 177 Artillery missile battalion of antiaircraft action .
Representatives of the 204th aviation brigade had their representatives also took part in liturgy in the St Nikola jChurch, and later in the procession - besides officers there were two chaplains Lt. Predrag Dokic , Priest in Church ranks, and sexton Sergeant Siniša Trbojević .
The first pontoon battalion of Sabac composition of Riverine Army helped organize the event by assembling eight pontoons from which competitors dove into the water . The unit participated in this event for the second year in a row , but otherwise they have a good long-term cooperation with the municipality of Zemun , because every year they set up the makeshift bridge between the city pier and the beach Lido on the Great War Island .
Members of Riverine participated today in Sremska Kamenica, in celebration of the holiday. During the liturgy in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, the lityurgy served by Archpriest Teodor Katic, military priests of the First Brigade Captain Djordje Stojisavljević and priests Zeljko Kusić was comnducted by the Bishop of Sremski Vasilije , who sanctified by the ice, wooden and Krstovdansk cross. He carried it in procession along the quay of the Danube , crossed the river to enter the Riverine minesweeper from which , along with the memorial to all victims of the Danube , lowered the water.
In a traditional swimming for the Holy Cross attended by 58 swimmers captain Miroslav Milutinovic and Sergeant Dalibor Andjelkovic from the composition of Riverine also took part .
In addition to engaging the river minesweepers , logistical support was provided by the pontoon and 93rd diving company of the Riverine .Members of the garrison in Krusevac , participated in the event " Swimming for Epiphany Cross " on the Wester Morava river near the town of Bele Vode. HA retired lieutenant colonel Svetislav Pavlovic brought the cross to the main square in Bele Vode. The center for CRBD training personnel whose representatives formed a decontamination station at which the swimmers took a bath and warmed up after swimming in cold waters of the Western Morava . There were 122 swimmers from 15 to 65 years of age.
