TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — A 16-year-old was the cross retriever in the 118th annual Tarpon Springs Epiphany Celebration cross dive.
John Paul Hittos of Clearwater retrieved the cross on Saturday afternoon.
The annual event celebrates the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist.
The religious ceremony is considered the largest Greek Epiphany celebration in the Western Hemisphere.
Last year, a 16-year-old also retrieved the cross and received the blessing.
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Dozens of young men dove for the symbolic wooden cross. The successful retriever is promised a year of blessings and good fortune.
The dive is followed by the Glendi, a festival of music and food, and the Epiphany Ball on Saturday night.
