As a prelude to Friday's 111th Epiphany Celebration, the Blessing of the Fleet will take place today in Tarpon Springs.
- Greek Orthodox Church to host annual Epiphany celebration
- Blessing of the Fleet Thursday at Noon
- Epiphany Celebration events on Friday
- St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
And, as part of this year's celebration, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Archdiocese of America will welcome a special guest from Greece as part of the festivities.
Dignitaries from Tarpon Springs' sister cities of Kalymnos and Halki, Greece also will be in attendance.
At noon, Bishop Sebastian will splash holy water on the sponge boats at the Tarpon Springs sponge docks on Dodecanese Boulevard along the Anclote River. He also will bless all that are gathered there.
Hundreds of people often turn out for the blessing, which many in the Greek Orthodox Church believe not only protects local fisherman and their vessels on their voyages but also protects the area from hurricanes.
The blessing takes place as part of the Epiphany Celebration, which is followed by Friday's services, procession to the Spring Bayou and the retrieval of the cross.
The Orthodox Christian celebrates Epiphany on January 6 of each year, in remembrance of the baptism of Jesus in the water of Jordan River 2000 ago.
According to the church, The Archbishop's throwing of the cross symbolizes casting of the bread of truth upon the troubled world. The plunging of the young boys into the waters signifies the immersion into the river Jordan of Jesus.
The boy who retrieves the cross is said to have a year of blessings.
Epiphany Celebration Schedule of Events 2017:
Orthros & Divine Epiphany Services at St. Nicholas Cathedral (36 N. Pinellas Ave.) - 8:00 a.m.
Archierarchical Liturgy - 9:30 a.m.
Greater Blessing of Waters (Catherdral) - 11:30 a.m.
Procession to Spring Bayou - 12:15 p.m.
Blessing of the Bayou and Casting of the Cross - 1:00 p.m.
About Epiphany:
Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States. The population of the city is expected to increase by several thousand for the celebration, which attracts Greek Americans from around the United States.
History of Epiphany
For Orthodox Christians, Epiphany marks the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.
Greek Orthodox Christians customarily focus their Epiphany celebration around the waters and their boats, which can be connected to Tarpon Springs’s history as a sponge diving community. One diver said the blessings help him feel protected while he works.
"We do have a dangerous job and we encounter dangers all the time. The blessing by the priest just makes you a little more confident."
The Epiphany Celebration
Visiting religious dignitaries will bless the boats and the waters before ceremonially throwing a white, wooden cross into the water. A group of teenage boys from local Greek Orthodox churches dive into the water to retrieve the cross. Tradition says the teenager who recovers the cross is blessed for a full year.
For four decades, the cross was crafted by Bill Paskalakis, who taught shop and coached football at Tarpon Springs High School for 21 years. Paskalakis died in 2010, and he passed the tradition on to his grandson, Nicholas.
Young women take part in the ceremony as well. The dove bearer marches in the procession while wearing a black robe and holding the white dove, which has a blue ribbon tied around its foot.