Epiphany City
Yesterday we made the {kinda long} drive to Epiphany City where we, along with thousands of others, watched the Epiphany celebration.
The day begins with Divine Liturgy followed by a procession down to the bayou where dozens of boats are tied up waiting for the boys to climb aboard. Once there, the boys jump into the water into the boat, that they carefully chose earlier that day. The Archbishop does the blessing of the waters and the dove bearer (a girl chosen from the church) releases the dove. Then more than 60 young boys ages 16-18 dive into the water in hopes of being the lucky one who comes up holding the cross.
The one who finds the cross gets a special blessing and is then carried on the shoulders of the other divers back to the church, where the priest reads a special prayer and blesses them. The finder of the cross also receives a gold cross that has been blessed.
Afterwards, the divers walk down to the sponge docks, a street of Greek shops, cafes, etc. to bless the businesses with holy water while chanting the troparia for the feast of Christ's baptism. It is a very special day indeed.
I love this celebration and the grace you feel during this service is unbelievable. It never matters if I know the boy who caught the cross or not, I always end up crying in thanks to God for answering his prayers. It's hard not to notice the hope in their eyes as they cross themselves and the waters as they whisper their silent prayers.
Ace dressed up in his traditional Greek "Tsolia" costume, complete with white tights, which he repeatedly reminded me were not tights but long socks. :)
Afterwards we went to Greek town and feasted on souvlakia, gyros and double scoops of ice cream.
Here's a video of the celebration:
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/2441023001?isVid=1&publisherID=1486870331
See some incredible photos of the service and divers here. (That's my godson on the phone with me in the one photo) :)
