Tarpon Springs Epiphany Celebration

About this happenin

Orthodox boys aged 16 to 18 dive into Spring Bayou every January 6 after a wooden cross, and whoever surfaces holding it is said to be blessed for the year. Tarpon Springs stages the largest Epiphany observance outside Greece, and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral has marked Christ's baptism this way for more than a century. The day opens with Orthros and Divine Liturgy. Clergy and chanters then process through downtown to the bayou with children carrying icons, and the presiding hierarch blesses the water and releases a white dove before the cross goes in. Afterward the Glendi sets out Greek food, and the music and dancing run until about 6 p.m. Services usually start at 8 a.m., and the blessing and dive come between 1 and 2 p.m. Crowds ring the water for the dive, so arrive early. The cathedral streams it live on YouTube. There's no charge to attend. Craig Park, on the bayou, has restrooms and a playground, and city offices close for the day.

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Where

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral and Spring Bayou · 36 N Pinellas Ave, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689