Source: Tampa Bay Newspapers
Tarpon Springs, December 17, 2015
Tarpon Springs’ 110th celebration of Epiphany will be held Wednesday, Jan. 6, at the historic St. Nicoloas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 36 N. Pinellas Ave., and Spring Bayou.
Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John the Baptist in the River Jordan. In Tarpon Springs, the day will involve a church service and the Blessing of the Waters, a procession to Spring Bayou and the cross retrieval, where 52 young men will search for a cross thrown into waters. The events conclude with a feast called Epiphany Glendi.
“This Holy Event is not merely a yearly symbolic re-enactment, but a ‘real-time’ transformation of nature,” said the Rev. Father James Rousakis, interim dean of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. “Therefore, we here in the Tarpon Springs area become recipients of the true metamorphosis of our environment. We are protected from above.”
Several prominent leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church travel to Tarpon Springs for the celebration, including Archbishop Demetrios, primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta.
Leading up to the feast day, the Blessing of the Fleet will be Tuesday, Jan. 5, noon to 1 p.m. Bishop Sebastian of Zela, the chief secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod of America and a former dean of the St. Nicholas Cathedral, will bless the fishermen, their vessels and the water in which they travel.
The service will occur at the Sponge Docks on the Anclote River, which feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. Both commercial fishermen and recreational boaters will participate.
Upon their arrival on Jan. 5, Archbishop Demetrios and Metropolitan Alexios will attend the traditional welcome luncheon with the Orthodox clergy and dignitaries of the area at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater.
Epiphany observances begin with orthros – or matins, a daybreak service – at 8 a.m. Jan. 6. This will be followed by the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 10 a.m.
After the liturgy and Great Blessing of the Waters, Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Alexios, other visiting hierarchs, clergy, dignitaries and thousands of people will form a procession to Spring Bayou. School children in traditional costumes, choir members and Greek folk dance groups from throughout the Tampa Bay Area will join them.
At Spring Bayou, an invocation will be recited, a young dove bearer will release a white dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, to fly over the Bayou.
Then, the Archbishop will cast a white cross into the water. Fifty-two male teens from Tampa Bay area parishes will dive for the cross, each seeking the honor of retrieving it. The retriever will kneel with the cross before the archbishop for a blessing.
Tradition has it that blessing the cross retriever receives follows him for the year, and often for the rest of his life.
The Epiphany Glendi is open to all – offering food, drink, live music and dancing. It begins at the St. Nicholas Community Center, 348 N. Pinellas Ave. During the feast, Archbishop Demetrios will honor the Epiphany divers and the cross victor.
The feast will feature traditional Greek dancing performed by the various dance groups of the cathedral, including Levendia, a nationally award-winning Greek dance troupe.
The dove bearer will be announced Friday, Dec. 25. For that and more information about Epiphany, visit www.epiphanycity.org.
Epiphany events
• Tuesday, Jan. 5
Noon Blessing of the Fleet at the Sponge Docks
• Wednesday, Jan. 6
8 a.m. Orthos
10 a.m. Divine Liturgy
Noon Great Blessing of the Waters at St. Nicoloas Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, 36 N. Pinellas Ave.
12:30 p.m. Processional to Spring Bayou
Invocation and release of the dove
Cross retrieval
12:30 to 6 p.m.
Epiphany Glendi feast at St. Nicholas Community Center,
348 N. Pinellas Ave.
