Christmas isn’t over ‘til the water’s blessed
A ring of boats encircles the area where divers practiced retrieving a special cross to commemorate the Feast of the Epiphany, followed by the Blessing of the Waters in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Dec. 30. Greek Orthodox Christmas is on Jan. 7.
In a quiet corner of Tampa Bay at the Fournos Bakery — or any of the other four bakery-cum-coffee-shops within a 10-block radius — the shop owner and customers invariably speak Greek. That’s not surprising. Most residents in the sponge capital of Tarpon Springs are of Greek descent, heavily invested in a close-knit culture that still permeates daily life in this quaint tourist town.
And while December has come and gone, each transaction is followed by a cheerful, “Merry Christmas!” That’s because Greek Orthodox Christmas follows the Christian Feast of the Epiphany celebrating Jesus Christ’s baptism on Jan. 6.
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