2024 Tarpon Springs Epiphany celebration: Teens dive to retrieve cross

After thunderstorms moved past, Florida's largest Greek Orthodox community celebrated the Epiphany on Saturday as a 16-year-old boy dove into chilly water to retrieve a cross in an annual rite that draws thousands.
John Hittos found the cross before 64 other boys after it was thrown into a bayou in Tarpon Springs, a town on the Gulf Coast 30 miles north of Tampa and known for its large Greek community. The retriever of the cross is believed to receive a year of blessings. It is one of the largest Epiphany celebrations in the country.
“I didn't see where the cross went in the water," Hittos told reporters after emerging from the 65-degree water. "I didn't know where it was, but I had a feeling and I just went down. I couldn't see anything, but it was in my hand.”
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[@MaurytheHedgehogDog]

Lovely to see a peaceful culture come together to preserve and share their unique heritage ❤

[@MrJmarathonitis]

Και του χρόνου, Χρονια Πολλά καλη χρονιά

[@absolutelypositivefuture]

🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇨🇾🇬🇷

[@dereksmith6316]

you know that cross has brought so much bad luck to some of the boys one year the kid hit another kid in the head with a shovel in tarpon springs and killed him look it up if you all
don’t believe me i live in clearwater and work in pinellas county schools i got 26 school and north county is mine and i couldn’t believe some of the bad things that have happen to the ones who got the cross in the water keep
it away from me 😂😂😂