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The
Daily Gyro January 5, 2006 100 Years of Divers and Doves in Tarpon Springs on Epiphany For premier January cross diving in the mid-Atlantic, try Ocean City, MD and a full wet suit – because there’s a big difference in jumping into the Atlantic versus the Gulf of Mexico. The high temperature in Tarpon Springs will be in the high 50s, and that’s after a cold front coming through. Tomorrow marks the 100th Anniversary of Epiphany celebrations in Tarpon Springs, being probably the best place in the lower 48 to go cross diving, a tradition in many not-so-mild places around the world on the day that marks Christ’s baptism in the Jordan. (For premier January cross diving in the mid-Atlantic, try Ocean City, MD and a full wet suit – because there’s a big difference in jumping into the Atlantic versus the Gulf of Mexico. The high temperature in Tarpon Springs will be in the high 50s, and that’s after a cold front coming through.) This year’s festivities are expected to attract over 80,000 people and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, which will require a great deal more security than this little town is typically used to as well. (The population of Tarpon Springs is only about 24,000.) The week-long celebration will cost $1.6 million and has taken a year to prepare. Tampa, a few miles away, is used to these types of crowds, this level of security, and this type of buzz – when it hosts the Super Bowl. The highlight of the event and the point of having it in Tarpon Springs is the 56 some odd divers that will be jumping into the bay searching for a wooden cross that will bring the one who retrieves it a year of blessings (It used to be gold, but it was a little expensive to replace if not found, and now the crosses have been painted white to give the boys a fighting chance.) The other highlight is the release of a dove that symbolizes the Holy Spirit. While only one is released, three are trained to make the flight. This year’s bird reportedly has been fed a steady training diet of green Gatorade to prep for the big day. In case you can’t just hop on a plane and be there tomorrow you can follow the festivities from the comfort of your office by clicking on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s website (www.goarch.org) or on Antenna Satellite or ERT.
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