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QASR-AL-YAHUD, West Bank (AP) — Greek-Orthodox Christians and faithful from other Eastern Churches have attended an annual ceremony at the River Jordan to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ.
Thousands of Christians from the Palestinian Territories, Israel, Europe and the US took part in Monday's event on the site where John the Baptist is believed to have baptized his cousin Jesus. The spot is close to where the River Jordan flows into the Dead Sea and is among the most important sites in Christianity along with the Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Following tradition, the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem led a procession to the site and threw a cross wrapped in a branch of basil leaves into the river's waters.
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