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Tag: Epiphany Celebration

  • Highlight from Spring Bayou: Teen emerges from waters with cross

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    TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – Perched on the edge of a ring boats, 74 young men took the familiar plunge Monday afternoon at Spring Bayou during the highlight of the Epiphany celebration.

    And then at 12:41 p.m., 18-year-old Athos Karistinos of Tarpon Springs, thrust his arm into the air, holding the coveted cross.  


    As is tradition with the Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs, now in its 120th year and the largest one in the Western Hemisphere, the victorious youth was hoisted into the air by his fellow divers and carried back to St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

    A yearlong of blessing is said to come for the young man who recovers the cross. 

    Karistinos is the second member of his family to retrieve the cross. His father, Anestis Karistinos, retrieved the cross in 1991.

    Epiphany is celebrated worldwide, but the famous celebration in Tarpon Springs is the largest outside of Greece.

    The unique festival sees 20,000 people descend on the area.

    With the cross throw complete, the community will continue the celebration into the evening with the Glendi (festival) at the Spanos-Pappas Community Center (348 N Pinellas Ave) with food, drink, live music, and dancing. 

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • PHOTO GALLERY: 120th Tarpon Springs Epiphany

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    Photos from the 120th Tarpon Springs Epiphany celebration on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Church leaders bless the fleet ahead of Epiphany

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    TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Epiphany is ingrained in the identity of Tarpon Springs. 

    However, before the events begin, the Blessing of the Fleet comes first. 

    Divers like Michael Tezza are thrilled to be a part of this. 

    “I’ve been waiting for my whole life, pretty much,” he said. 

    Michael is a first-time diver at 16 years old. 

    However, he knows Epiphany is about much more than retrieving the cross.

    “It’s just huge, he said. “You learn about it growing up, and you don’t realize how big and important it is until you actually are experiencing it like I am right now.”

    Athanasios Haros, the Dean at St. Nicholas Cathedral, said the Blessing of the Fleet is about making sure those who make their living on the ocean are safe.

    “All of these are working fishing boats, so we ask God to bless the very boats that will go out into the ocean and provide not only life source, food, but also material resources,” he said. “The families make their living.”

    One hundred and twenty years strong, this is a tradition like few others.

    From the blessing to the dive, this week’s festivities highlight heritage and the celebration of the baptism of Jesus Christ.

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    Matt Lackritz

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  • Meet the 2026 Epiphany Dove Bearer, Sylvia Marakas

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    TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral announced Sylvia Marakas as the 2026 Epiphany Dove Bearer.

    “It’s a great honor,” said Marakas. “I don’t know the right words to articulate for what it means to myself, to my family, to the community.”

    What You Need To Know

    • St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral announced Sylvia Marakas as the 2026 Epiphany Dove Bearer
    • The person selected carries a dove in the procession to Spring Bayou and then releases it before the cross dive

    • Marakas said she’s been a member of the choir ministry for over three years

    • Marakas also said that family connection and her faith mean everything to her


    Marakas said she’s been a member of the choir ministry for over three years.

    “I’ve always been involved with music and enjoyed music,” said Marakas. “And my grandmother in the ’50s was actually a member of the choir. We have that connection.”

    Marakas said that family connection and her faith mean everything to her. The cathedral describes the Pinellas County native as a devoted member of church and community.

    Marakas said the church is special to her. She holds memories of attending with her family close.

    “My grandfather would always sit around this area, so anytime I’m in the choir singing, I think of him,” said Marakas pointing to the front pews in the cathedral, missing her grandfather, but knowing he is proud of her today.

    “I was selected for this for a purpose, and I’m so grateful for it,” said Marakas. “And I hope now that I can give back and be a positive reflection for the faith, for Tarpon Springs and for St. Nicholas.”

    One way Marakas is already giving back is by serving on the St. Nicholas Cathedral Restoration Capital Campaign Cabinet and the Oversight and Audit Committee.

    “I’ve seen water coming down and after during bad rains from the columns,” said Marakas, showing a part of the church that has fallen into disrepair. “We are entering a different phase, a new phase sort of this year,” said Marakas. “The church is undergoing a major multi-million dollar restoration.”

    While trying to preserve the church’s past, the 2026 Epiphany Dove Bearer is also proud to be part of its future.

    “That I can continue to be a representative for the Orthodox faith, as well as the Tarpon community, this community has been very important to my family,” said Marakas.

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    Melissa Eichman

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  • Cathedral names 2026 dove bearer ahead of Epiphany Week

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    TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral has announced the dove bearer for the upcoming Epiphany celebration.

    Sylvia Marakas has been named dove bearer. Church officials call her “a devoted member of the Cathedral community whose faith, service, and family heritage reflect the significance of the Feast of Epiphany.”


    Marakas is a Pinellas County native and has been a member of the St. Nicholas Cathedral Choir Ministry for more than three years.

    She currently serves on the St. Nicholas Cathedral Restoration Capital Campaign Cabinet and the Oversight and Audit Committee. She has also volunteered with the St. Nicholas Cathedral Philoptochos, supporting various fundraising initiatives.

    Sylvia is an attorney practicing in Pinellas County.

    During her childhood, Sylvia attended services at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater and at St. Nicholas Cathedral.

    Sylvia’s family heritage traces to Kalymnos, Greece, and the Abruzzo region of Italy, with deep roots in Tarpon Springs and Pinellas County.

    Her grandparents, Paul and Sylvia Giuliani, were founding members of St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg in 1961 and longtime supporters of St. Nicholas Cathedral.

    Marakas said she has heartfelt gratitude to her family for their unwavering support and deeply honored to serve as the Dove Bearer for Epiphany 2026.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • 120 years on, Epiphany celebration continues to shine on Tarpon Springs

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    TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – Spring Bayou is quiet.

    But the waters in one of Tarpon Springs’ most well-known neighborhoods will soon be alive with excitement for yet another celebration.

    Epiphany 2026 has arrived.


    The largest Epiphany celebration in the western hemisphere is once again set for Jan. 6 in northern Pinellas County. This year’s event will be the 120th edition of the renowned ceremony.

    Epiphany is celebrated worldwide, but the famous celebration in Tarpon Springs turns the small town known for its quaint sponge docks into a unique festival that sees 20,000 people descend on the area.

    Crowds annually turn out at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral and at Spring Bayou for the first week of January’s Orthodox Epiphany observance.

    The Tarpon Springs community has commemorated Christ’s baptism for more than a century with services at St. Nicholas Cathedral, and events highlighted by a ceremonial cross dive at Spring Bayou. (Spectrum News/Jorja Roman)

    And once again, the highlight of the celebration will come when about 60 young men will take their places in the usually chilly waters of the bayou in hopes of retrieving the cross from the water and the yearlong blessing that is said to come with it.

    The event-filled celebration features a Blessing of the Fleet on Monday, Jan. 5, at 1 p.m. at the Sponge Docks on the Anclote River. 

    WATCH: What is Epiphany?

    The next day begins with an 8 a.m. church service at St. Nicholas, followed by the procession of clergy and faithful to Spring Bayou around noon.

    The dove release is next, followed by the Archbishop throwing a cross into the bayou and the young men dive into the waters. The one diver who retrieves the cross is considered blessed for the entire year.

    Following the ceremony and cross throw, the Epiphany Glendi (festival) will be held at the Spanos-Pappas Community Center (348 N Pinellas Ave) with food, drink, live music, and dancing. 

    SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

    Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (Epiphany Day)

    • 8:00 AM: Orthros (Matins) and Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
    • 9:00 AM (approx.): Procession from the Cathedral to Spring Bayou.
    • 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Blessing of the Tarpon Springs waters, Dove Release, and the Dive for the Cross in Spring Bayou by young men.
    • 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM (or later): Epiphany Glendi Festival at the Sponge Docks with food, music, and dancing.

    ORIGINS

    Epiphany, also called the Theophany (meaning “appearance of God”), celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist.

    The most characteristic feature of the Orthodox Epiphany observance is the sanctification of the waters. The waters of the River Jordan were blessed by the presence of Jesus.

    The observance spread to the new world and eventually to Tarpon Springs, which boasts the largest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the U.S.

    Tarpon Springs’ Epiphany began as a simple affair in 1903 and has grown in size ever since.

    The local ceremonies are identical to those that take place in and around Greece. 

    John Hittos receives a necklace from Greek Orthodox Church officials after retrieving the cross during the 2024 Epiphany. (Associated Press photo)

    John Hittos receives a necklace from Greek Orthodox Church officials after retrieving the cross during the 2024 Epiphany. (Associated Press photo)

    FAMILY AFFAIR

    Most young men growing up in Tarpon Springs dream of retrieving the cross when it comes their time to dive.

    And most, if not all, have a relative in the small, tight-knit community that grabbed the cross from the murky waters.

    Last year, Luc Boillot of Tarpon Springs emerged from the waters with the coveted cross.

    “I can’t explain it. This is unreal,” said Boillot.

    Luc’s mother, Kathy, said it was a special moment.

    “It’s very emotional for me because of my father and both of my brothers caught the cross. You know, my father was the priest here for 30 years at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, and I feel truly blessed,” said Kathy Boillot.

    2025 cross retriever Luc Boillot celebrates with the Archbishop after emerging from the Spring bayou waters with the cross. (Spectrum News image)

    2025 cross retriever Luc Boillot celebrates with the Archbishop after emerging from the Spring bayou waters with the cross. (Spectrum News image)

    ROAD CLOSURES:

    Locations: Area bounded by Spring Boulevard, Pine Street, Levis Avenue and Lemon Street.

    Major thoroughfares of Alternate US Highway 19 (from Pine Street to Lemon Street) and Tarpon Avenue (from Levis Avenue to Spring Boulevard) will be closed as well as many smaller roads within the area of the procession.

    Time Period: Tuesday, January 6, 2026, from approximately 10:45 am until 3:00 pm

    Please observe posted detours, expect heavy traffic and yield to pedestrians. There will be NO overnight parking Thursday night or during the event within the procession area (Pinellas Ave. between Orange St. and Tarpon Ave.; Tarpon Ave. between Grosse Ave. and the Bayou; Orange St. between Pinellas Ave. and Ring Ave.). 

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    Rod Gipson

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