Hudson Teen Retrieves Epiphany Cross

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — A 17-year-old Hudson boy has earned himself a year of good luck after successfully retrieving a wooden cross from Spring Bayou during Tarpon Springs’ 110th annual Epiphany celebration Wednesday.

The City of Tarpon Springs announced that Anderson Combs beat out 51 other competitors to find the cross.

The annual observance, staged each Jan. 6, begins with services at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, followed by a processional to Spring Bayou. Once there, divers line up for a chance to retrieve the cross. The Epiphany celebration draws thousands of visitors to Tarpon Springs each year. Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

“In the old country, Jesus Christ’s baptismal day was celebrated with spiritual emotion and long procession,” the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks website states. ”Following tradition, the Greek community established that January the 6th of each year will be celebrated with the sanctification of the waters and the immersion of the cross in the Spring Bayou on ’Cross Day’ or ’Epiphany’.”

The first recognition of Epiphany in Tarpon Springs was held in 1903.

Image from the City of Tarpon Springs’ Facebook page