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A guide to Tarpon Springs' 109th Epiphany celebration (w/video)

 
Peter Smith of Ellenton emerges from the water after retrieving the cross during the 108th Epiphany celebration in 2014 in Tarpon Springs. [EVE EDELHEIT | Times]
Peter Smith of Ellenton emerges from the water after retrieving the cross during the 108th Epiphany celebration in 2014 in Tarpon Springs. [EVE EDELHEIT | Times]
Published Jan. 6, 2015

TARPON SPRINGS — Plan to travel in or around Tarpon Springs on Tuesday? Listen up.

For decades, Greek Orthodox Christians here have upheld the traditions of their ancestors by recognizing Epiphany, a religious ceremony that celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

Held each year on Jan. 6, Tarpon's celebration is often called the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

Traffic and detours will reign today as an estimated 20,000 parishioners, locals and spectators from around the world converge on this cultural epicenter for its 109th annual observance.

The blessing and throwing of the cross into the chilly waters of Spring Bayou is the centerpiece of Epiphany. But celebrants and dignitaries also turn out in droves for the hours-long solemn church service, as well as the elaborate costumes, dancing and food at the Glendi festival afterward.

For the first time, clergy will honor the multiple police agencies that have kept watch over the ceremony for years. Just before the dive, there will be a moment of silence and plaque dedication to slain Tarpon Springs officer Charles Kondek.

Epiphany events are free and open to the public. If you plan to join the fray (or want to avoid it), here's what you need to know:

Street closures: Motorists are advised to plan alternate routes around the following roads, which will be closed from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

•Pinellas Avenue/Alt. U.S. 19, between Lemon and Pine streets

•Tarpon Avenue, from Ring Avenue to Spring Bayou

•Spring Boulevard, between Orange and Court streets

Parking: Those who arrive early can leave their vehicles on side streets, in free public lots or at the Spanos-Pappas Community Center (348 Pinellas Ave.), where the Glendi is held. Sometimes, private homeowners offer parking in their yards for a fee.

Church service: Celebrants begin with an 8 a.m. Orthos and Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 36 N Pinellas Ave. If you plan to enter the church, arrive early and dress appropriately in long slacks and long-sleeved shirts.

Cross dive: About noon, a colorful procession will walk to the bayou, just west of the intersection of Alt. U.S. 19 and Tarpon Avenue. There, Archbishop Demetrios, primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, will preside over the dive — considered a rite of passage into manhood for Greek boys ages 16 to 18 — assisted by other Greek Orthodox clergy.

After choir member Theodora Lialios releases a white dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit over the bayou, the archbishop will throw a wooden cross into the chilly, murky water. Fifty young men signed up this year to leap from anchored dinghies to try to retrieve the white crucifix in a quest for blessings from the Lord.

Glendi: After the archbishop formally honors the cross retriever who has been carried on his peers' shoulders back to the church, celebrants move to this Greek festival at the community center from about 1:30 to 6 p.m.

For information on Epiphany events, call St. Nicholas cathedral at (727) 937-3540.

Contact Keyonna Summers at ksummers@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4153. Follow @KeyonnaSummers.