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.
That’s why in this town and other American Orthodox communities, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without water.
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