Epiphany 2012: Thrice Blessed

If Orthodox Greek tradition holds true, three local boys will have a year of blessings. Two of the teens emerged from the chilly waters of Spring Bayou holding Epiphany crosses Friday afternoon; a third boy was also declared one of the cross retrievers the Tampa Bay Times reported.

The annual ceremony in Tarpon Springs began around 1 p.m. with Archbishop Demetrios tossing a wooden Epiphany cross into Spring Bayou. More than 50 boys who were positioned among a semi-circle of dinghies immediately went after the cross. But, it was nowhere to be found.

So, the archbishop threw a second cross into the water, which was retrieved by Louis Mailisand, 17. Then, another boy, Miros Petru, 17, found the first cross that was thrown into the water. Mailisand and Petru are cousins who attend Tarpon Springs High School. "To dive is a blessing. To actually have it makes me feel even that much greater," Mailisand said in the Tampa Bay Times. 

Both teens had the honor or being carried on the shoulders of the other boys who took them back to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral to be blessed by the archbishop. Officials later announced a third boy Jared Alissandratos, 16, was also a cross retriever. It turned out that Alissandratos and Mailisand both held the cross while it was under water. "This was an unusual situation," Helen Giakoumis, co-chairman of the event said on TBO.com.

The annual Greek Orthodox celebration symbolizes the baptism of Christ. The Tarpon Springs Epiphany Celebration is the largest in the United States. 25-30,000 people were expected to attend this year's celebration.

See the video from WFLA-TV