Tarpon Springs, Florida’s Epiphany celebrations, always one of the most popular events during the winter in the greater area, will look a little different this year due to the pandemic. As with everything else this past year, the celebrations for the great feast of Epiphany, or Theophany, will be scaled down, according to greekreporter.com.
But there will indeed be a blessing of the waters by the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of the Americas, Elpidophoros, and the cross will be found by a fortunate young man in the waters of the bayou on this, the 115th anniversary of the first such celebration in Tarpon Springs.
This year, no spectators other than two from the family of each diver will be allowed to watch the ceremony for the blessing of the waters and the cross dive. In the past, as many as 25,000 people had gathered there to participate in the great feast, which is traditionally the end of the Christmas season.
The grounds on which throngs of people normally congregate to watch teenage boys dive for a cross thrown by the Bishop will be closed down this Wednesday.
The modified version of the celebration will include a scaled-down complement of divers, numbering 55 this year, all aged 16-18. The old tradition, taking place in the town famous for its many Greek sponge divers, is normally a gala, a day-long affair.
St. Nicholas’ Greek Orthodox Cathedral will be open to ticketed parishioners only. Up to 800 parishioners with tickets will be given access to the Liturgy and festivities, according to Tarpon Springs police chief Robert Kochen.
Read the full report here.
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