TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — The cross has been retrieved at the yearly Tarpon Springs community celebration of Epiphany.
What You Need To Know
- 117th Tarpon Springs Epiphany celebration took place Friday
- Considered the largest Epiphany celebration in the Western Hemisphere, the event commemorates Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan
- Schedule of Events
- Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
The young man who retrieved it - and the yearlong blessing that is said to come with it - spent Thursday night praying and preparing.
George Stamas, 16, of Tarpon Springs, was hoisted on the shoulders of other divers and taken back to the church, where he was to receive a blessing from the archbishop.
Shouts of "axios," meaning worthy, were shouted throughout the crowd.
Stamas's family has a long history in the Tarpon Springs area, and his cousin, Christian, retrieved the cross in 2018. His great grandfather and great uncle also did it.
“I jumped in the bayou last night and swam to the dingy I was going to go to at about 12 in the morning," he said.
He prayed that this morning would be a blessing, and with one hoist of the cross, that was the case for him and his family.
“God blessed us for this to happen, so it’s a blessing. It’s for a reason," he said.
Cross Retriever, George Stamas, 16 of Tarpon Springs, and his family after a special moment this epiphany! @BN9 pic.twitter.com/0A1OHir9pZ
— Nick Popham (@nickpopham) January 6, 2023
Friday's Epiphany was a return to full festivities for the first time since 2020. About 20,000 people came from all over to take part.
“I’ve been looking forward to this since I was a little kid. I’ve always wanted to dive, my cousins have dove, my dad has dove, my whole family and now I get to retrieve the cross," Stamas said.
His great grandfather retrieved the cross in 1938, and great uncle did it in 1941.
Stamas is also the starting quarterback for the Tarpon Springs High School football team.
For 116 years, crowds have turned out at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral and at Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs during the first week of January for the traditional throwing of the cross during Epiphany celebrations.
The celebration is in remembrance of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the water of the Jordan River.
Video: Procession following George Stamas' cross retrieval
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.
We'll have more on Stamas and his retrieving of the cross later today on Spectrum Bay News 9 and the Spectrum News app.
