Tarpon Springs Greeks Host Largest Epiphany Celebration in America

Nearly 22,000 people were reported to have attended this year’s Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs, and it’s still the largest in America.

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The city’s St. Nicholas Cathedral and neighboring Spring Bayou is host to the annual event commemorating the Greek Orthodox Feast Day of Theophany, the decent and revelation of the Holy Spirit during Jesus’s baptism at the Jordan by John the Baptist.

Interestingly, Tarpon Springs is home to the largest population of Greeks outside of Greece, with most calling the city home from their origins in the Dodecanese Greek Islands such as Kalimnos. More than one in ten people in Tarpon Springs report Greek heritage, according to census figures from 2000.

Tarpon Springs is a really popular Bay Area tourist destination, but on January 6th of every year the city really comes alive as many thousands of the Bay area’s Greeks, fellow Christians, and folks who simply love and enjoy Greek culture, come out to gather around Spring Bayou just down the street from the cathedral for the annual celebration. This year Epiphany fell on a Sunday, and it was a picture-perfect day weather-wise, which made it easier for many more people for join in.

The day’s services at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral started at 8 AM, followed by a special Archierarchical Divine Liturgy at 9:30 AM, then the Greater Blessing of the Waters, and finally the procession to the bayou and blessing of the bayou before the cross was scheduled to be tossed into the waters at 1:00 PM.

His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios (Panagiotopoulos) of Atlanta led the services and procession from the church to the bayou along with, for the first time, a procession of every single Greek Orthodox priest in the Tampa Bay Area, as well as dignitaries of the community. There, onlookers and the faithful listened as the Gospel reading about the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and the Theophany, the Greek word meaning the shining forth and manifestation of God, in the human form of Jesus. A dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus after his baptism is released every year during this part of the gospel reading by a young choir girl, and this year her name was Stella Bilirakis.

After Metropolitan Alexios blessed the waters of the bayou and the Gospel reader, he tossed a large white cross into the bayou and 58 young boys, aged 16-18, jumped from little white boats and into the chilly water. Whoever was the first to retrieve it would be granted a year of blessings and good luck as the tradition says.

A 17-year old young man named Ilias Skandaliaris was the one to recover the cross from the water this year. At least three local news media helicopters buzzed in the air to cover the entire event, and reporters lined the street awaiting this years winner’s celebratory walk back to the cathedral to conclude the service.

Afterwards, the public were invited to a glendi (festival) at Spring Bayou’s Craig Park. It was the first time in twelve years that the glendi was held at the park. For years prior the celebration was held at the cathedral’s event hall, but honestly I felt like the move back to the park made it much easier for more people to enjoy the food and fellowship to follow.

Greek Youth Dance groups from local Greek Orthodox churches such as St. George in New Port Richey, and Holy Trinity in Clearwater, performed traditional regional Greek dances for everyone. A live Greek band, Illada! Illada!, played traditional and modern Greek favorites.

Food and drink tents lined the park, and it was really pretty organized. A couple separate tents were set up to purchase tickets for food prior to going to the food tents to pick up the items ordered. This year the food was catered by Louis Pappas Market, and the glendi celebration was sponsored by Advent Health.

Folks could pick from several Greek casual dishes to enjoy including a Greek salad, Tiropita, Spanakopita, Chicken Souvlaki, Gyros, as well as desserts such as Galaktobouriko. The food was actually very tasty and affordable this year, and much of the crispy favorites like spanakopita and sweets like galaktoboriko, were sold out even before the event was over. We enjoyed a souvlaki sandwich, a gyro, both served with a helping of potatoes, and a large Greek salad to share for $30.

This year’s celebration and weather were simply wonderful. At around 3:00 PM, the youth along with the boy who retrieved the cross returned from the church to the glendi stage to offer a prayer and thanksgiving to their families, friends. “Axios!” the youth shouted at this year’s winner, meaning, “He is worthy,” before together making their way in procession around the festival to anoint the crowds of people with sprinkles of Holy water.