Tarpon Springs is the city in U.S. with the largest population by proportion of Greek decedents. The first observance of Epiphany in Tarpon Springs was celebrated by the first settlers in 1903. Rain or shine, warm or cold, the festivities of Epiphany at Tarpon Springs takes place every year on January Sixth. (If there's a thunderstorm that makes it dangerous to be in water it will be cancelled but so far the saints have made sure that doesn't happen.) The ceremonies is the same as the one taking place all over Greece on the same day, so if you want a taste of Greece without leaving the continent, come here for a day trip! While the faithfuls gather in the St. Nicholas Cathedral, the tourists (many out-of-towners) have already stake their spots on the grass around Spring Bayou. You can hear the music and hymns through the loudspeaker, and eventually, the procession down Tarpon Avenue. Local teenage boys between 16-18 swim to the row boats around the dock, where they stand posed for the moment the cross is tossed into the water. The Archbishop begins by blessing the waters, then read from the first chapter of St. Mark's, verse 9, "and it came to pass in those days...he saw the heavens opened, and the spirit like a dove descending upon him, and there came a voice from heaven saying "thou art my beloved Son, in thee, I am well pleased". A girl, the designated dove bearer, will release a white dove as the cross is tossed into the water. The boys all dive in, hoping to be the first to retrieve it, for honor, glory and blessing for him and his family. In the past, the cross was made with gold. However, there were a few years the sunk cross could not be found, so nowadays it is made with white oak. Also, the day before, if you are lucky, you will see the Archbishop going around Tarpon Springs blessing the businesses and the residents. One year we received our blessings in a bakery and another time at the covid testing center (which we felt was more potent than any vaccine. : D ) read more

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The Orthodox Christian religion celebrates Epiphany on January 6th of each year, in remembrance of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. The Greek community established January the 6th of each year as that day that will be celebrated with the sanctification of the waters and the immersion of the cross in the Spring Bayou on Cross Day also called Epiphany. The first observance of Epiphany in Tarpon Springs was celebrated by the first settlers who came to the area in 1903. Only a few people attended the first Epiphany but word spread and Greeks and Americans from all over began traveling to Tarpon Springs to take part in the three day celebration that is identical to the service that takes place in Greece. This year was the 118th Epiphany service in Tarpon Springs. I had never heard of the Epiphany celebration at Tarpon Springs before attending but my friend really wanted to go and invited me to come along. Tarpon Springs has been on many best of Florida lists and I always have wanted to visit. The small town has a rich history of Greek sponge divers and we were able to explore the town the night before the Epiphany. On the day of the festival there was a storm and we weren't even sure that the ceremony would still be going on. Apparently it has never rained during the Epiphany before. We found free parking in a downtown lot and arrived very early in the morning for Liturgy services at St. Nicholas Cathedral. It was raining so hard that I had to wade through water up to my knees in the street. The service lasts several hours so we decided to leave after a couple of hours and head down to Craig Park and Spring Bayou to secure a good spot for the diving portion of the service. Fortunately by the time we arrived at Craig Park the sun had come out and it ended up being a beautiful day. The streets are closed off so a procession of clergy can walk down to the bayou, the site of the first settlement in Tarpon Springs. At the park we were able to watch a large screen that was streaming the church service. While we waited for the clergy to arrive I enjoyed watching the manatees in Spring Bayou. as I sat and dipped my legs in the spring a dolphin surfaced right in front of me giving me a moment I still treasure. As we sat with our feet in the bayou we watched the cross diving portion of the service. After The Gospel of the day was read and a white dove was released the Archbishop threw a large cross into the bayou and 65 teen aged boys who were sitting in and on boats dove into the waters of the bayou. The diver who retrieves the cross is considered blessed for the entire year and this year the honor went to 16 year old John Hittos. After the cross diving there is a large festival in Craig Park with Greek food and wine and cultural events like dancing and music. After enjoying the festival it was time to head back home taking a lot of great memories of my first Epiphany with me. read more

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Viewing the Epiphany at the Tarpon Springs Bayou was beyond incredible. The Greek Orthodox Church has been doing this for 118 years here on January 6th. They celebrate the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in the river Jordan and the manifestation of the trinity. At the end of the liturgy, a dove is released and then a cross is thrown into the water. 60+ teenage boys dive from small row boats that are set up in a ring in the Bayou. The Greek Orthodox Archbishops from the United States were there as well as the Archbishop from Great Britain, Nikitas Loulias. It was the 50th anniversary of when Nikitas was the diver to retrieve the cross so it was a special year. They believe that the water was blessed when Christ was baptized and therefore they bless the water so that all of the divers will be blessed and the one that retrieves the cross is blessed for the year and celebrated for the year. His name as well as the dove bearer's name becomes part of history for the Epiphany. The boys are told to run and make their way down the steps, jump in the cold water and swim as fast as they can to the boats. The water was 63 degrees this year. At one point in the ceremony, a chosen girl, the dove bearer, releases a dove and soon after the Archbishop throws the cross into the water. The divers go for the cross as fast as they can. The water is only waist high so it was only a minute before one of them found the cross. John Hittos from CCHS retrieved the cross this year. The crowd let up a huge roar and the divers chanted John's name. I lived in Tarpon Springs 25 years ago. I didn't get to see the Epiphany that year but participated in the celebration afterward. I bought a Greek Cookbook from the ladies in the church and have kept it ever since. I've read the story about the Epiphany many times and had always wanted to go. This year I was finally able to make it. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget. read more

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