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.
January 2, 2024
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January 2, 2024 1 a.m.
Christmas isn’t over ‘til the water’s blessed
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.