TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Normally, next week the streets of Tarpon Springs surrounding Spring Bayou would be packed with people.
As many as 20,000 people typically gather to watch the Greek Orthodox Church’s annual Epiphany celebration where boys from across the Bay area dive for a single cross as the church blesses the spring’s water and prays for God’s forgiveness.
And even during one of the worst global pandemics in more than a century, that tradition will continue.
“First and foremost is the safety of all the people who are participating,” said Father Athanasios Haros, Dean of the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs. “They are participating in a blessing of the church. It is not an Olympic event. It is not just about 55 boys jumping in the water.”
It’s a tradition that’s gone on for more than 100 years in Tarpon Springs and centuries throughout Greek Orthodox Christianity, Haros said But this year’s celebration, like everything else this past year, will be different due to COVID-19.
“The church has always had a very healthy relationship with science. And we know that there is an illness and there is a virus and it does transmit in large groups of people,” Haros said
For that reason, the church is making some painful decisions limiting who can attend on Jan. 6 and canceling other parts of the ceremony throughout the day.
“For many years the tradition has been basically a beautiful majestic parade through downtown Tarpon Springs, all of that is not going to be done this year,” Haros said.
Instead, Haros says the procession of the clergy will head straight from Saint Nicholas directly to the bayou with only family members, dignitaries and church members invited to attend.
“We do want to ask the general public to remain home to be safe,” Haros said. “We will be watching it on television, will be live streaming it on our website, but we want to acknowledge that it is a pandemic and we want to keep people safe.”
The church still hoping to bring the entire Bay area together in love and prayer, just from a distance.
“I think people understand that there are going to be some limitations this year but the blessing will go on and as we have done for over 100 years we will ask God to forgive us,” Haros said.
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