| Special Issue: Easter in Greece Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:37 AM PDT  Considered the most important holiday on the Greek calendar, the celebration of Orthodox Easter (Pascha, Greek: Πάσχα) is unique in almost every corner of Greece.
Special traditions mark not only the mourning of Christ's Crucifixion and the celebration of Resurrection, but also the passage from winter to spring. The uniqueness in celebrating Easter the traditional Greek way lies more in the week leading up to the event (Holy Week) rather than the actual religious holiday.  The word "Pascha" derives from the Jewish "Pesah" which means "Passover". Jewish people celebrated "Pesah" to commemorate their liberation from the Egyptians and the passage therough the Red Sea. While in ancient times, Christian Easter coincided with the month of Anthesterion (the flowering month), a celebration of spring and the rebirth of vegetation. - "Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord"
 In Eastern Christianity, the spiritual preparation for Easter (Pascha) begins with the Great Lent. The Great Lent starts on Clean (or Ash) Monday and lasts for forty days.
The Easter celebration begins at the stroke of midnight, on Holy Saturday night, when Christians gather to churches carrying candles that would be lit with the Holy Light, when the priest chants "Christ is Risen" (Christos Anesti, in Greek).
Placing the Divine Liturgy at midnight ensures that no other liturgy comes earlier in the morning. The Divine Liturgy is considered the most significant ancient Christian service, not so much for its phrasing and words as for its meaning.
For Eastern Christianity, Easter is extolled as the "Feast of Feasts." The week which begins on Easter Sunday is called Bright Week. The post-eastern period lasts 49 days leading to Pentecost Sunday (the fiftieth day from the beginning of Easter).   |
| Easter Banquet Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:38 AM PDT  As Easter is the holiest and the most joyous of Greek holidays, food is central to all festivities. The Easter table is a reflection of tradition combined with the seasonality of Greek cuisine.
The ingredients, the seasonings, and the dishes might differ from place to place, there is however, one rule always followed: nothing must be wasted. The most typical dishes are whole lambs on a spit, slowly roasting; red-dyed eggs; braided sweet bread (tsoureki); Easter soup (magiritsa) and grilled tripe roll (kokoretsi).  Magiritsa is usually eaten during the early hours of Sunday morning, after the midnight service of Resurrection together with red-dyed eggs. On Easter Sunday morning, the process of roasting a whole lamb on a spit along with the kokoretsi begins. It usually takes 6 to 8 hours for the lamb to roast. People enjoy themselves drinking ouzo or tsipouro and tasting various meze, until the lamb is ready.  |
| Around Greece @ Easter Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:42 AM PDT
 Easter celebrations constitute a vivid aspect of the folk culture, rich in meanings and symbols. From Crete to Macedonia, Easter customs become a herald of the spirit's and nature's rebirth.
Most customs are common throughout Greece and preparations usually begin on Holy Thursday.
One of the most known customs is for women to dye boiled eggs red. The custom is as old as time and the use of egg is a symbol of rebirth while the red colour stands for the blood of Christ. In many households, the first dyed egg is placed below the house's icon stand.
There are many places of exquisite beauty to visit at Easter time, promising a festive and traditional atmosphere.  One of the best times to visit the island of Corfu is Easter week, when the town hosts the most splendid, ceremonial and melodic celebrations in the country, with the city's philharmonics in full action.
One of the highlights is the dropping of "botides" – ceramic pots full of water – from upper-story windows onto the cobblestone streets of the island on Holy Saturday morning after the first Resurrection service. You Tube: Pot Throwing in Corfu [VIDEO]  Leonidio in the Prefecture of Arcadia is one of the most historic and picturesque coastal towns of Greece. Emerging from an imposing landscape on Mount Parnon, the town is the capital of the Tsakonia region, which is notable for its cultural and linguistic particularities.
Leonidio may be visited all year round but the best time would be during Easter. Visitors will certainly be impressed by the customs and traditions of the region, as its inhabitants celebrate Easter in a magnificent way. On the night of the Resurrection, when the chant "Christ is Risen!" is heard, the sky is filled with hot-air balloons released by the faithful of each parish. The colourful balloons fill the sky and travel slowly by the wind, creating a spectacular image in the glow of fireworks. YouTube: Leonidio: & Easter-Hot Air Balloons [VIDEO]  Tripoli, the capital of Arcadia prefecture in the heart of Peloponnese, is well-known for its folklore celebration of Easter.
On the night of Good Friday, portable Holy Sepulchres from all the churches of the town gather in the central square, rivaling one another in decoration.
On Easter Sunday, lambs are spit-roasted at the Ares square and the hospitable locals treat visitors to pieces of lamb meat, wine, Easter biscuits, and eggs.  The island of Chios in the north Aegean Sea, offers another interesting custom whereby residents in the village of Vrontados revive the tradition of "the rocket war." After Christ's Resurrection, Vrontados breaks into a pandemonium of fireworks lighting up the midnight sky. You Tube: Rocket War in Vrontados [VIDEO]  On the island of Tinos, in western Cyclades, on Good Friday parishioners of both Orthodox and Catholic churches carry the Holy Sepulchres of their churches to the port, where they join forces in chanting hymns before each Holy Sepulchre follows its own itinerary through the neighborhoods. The bier of Aghios Nikolaos –patron Saint of sailors- is taken into the water at the beach, creating a sublime atmosphere.
 On Amorgos -the easternmost of the Cycladic Islands- the houses and streets are whitewashed, marking the beginning of the Holy Week and reflecting the festive atmosphere of the season. The women of Amorgos bake bread and decorate it with red eggs, while on Good Friday afternoon they treat local people and visitors alike to bread, olives and Lenten confectionery.  Skiathos Island
On Skiathos, all services are held according to the monastic rule of Mount Athos. The bells toll in funereal tones during the entire Holy Week and the Vespers service of Good Friday starts at 4am on Saturday morning. Athens Plus (19.03.2010): Easter islands customs  |
| Easter in Northern Greece Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:49 AM PDT In the nearby town of Ouranoupoli, still on the Athos peninsula in Chalkidiki, women drape the Holy Sepulchre with ornaments, flowers and pearls. In the town of Ierissos (ancient Acanthus) again in Chalkidiki, festivities include dancing which begins with the elderly, inviting younger to join in until all participants hold hands and form a big line.
 At the foot of Mt Olympus, in the town of Litohoro, women use cloth to make fabric flowers with which they decorate the Holy Sepulchre. In the city of Serres, the local community revives Christ's Crucifixion on a hill which, tradition has it, resembles the hill of Golgotha (Calvary). A large wooden Crucifix is nailed to the Cross to be taken off later and then preparations of the burial begin.
The wooden Crucifix is placed inside a tomb carefully chosen for the purpose and the priest seals the door. The next day participants return to the tomb and remove the body, placing the icon of Resurrection in its place. The tomb will remain open all year long.  In the town of Kastanousa, close to lake Kerkini and closer to Greece's boarders with Bulgaria, residents and visitors for Easter can relish a traditional "egg fight."
Contestants choose what they consider the 30 'strongest' chicken eggs and pick up a fight! Players start to crack each other's eggs and whoever is left with eggs remaining intact wins.
In the city of Kavala, the procession begins in the Church known for its icon of Virgin Mary which, according to tradition, was painted by Luke the Evangelist. (The Evangelist lived and died in Greece). In other parts of the city of Kavala, people burn an effigy of Judas, symbolizing catharsis and eternal resurrection.  In the city of Drama, children still sing the Lazarus Saturday carols, telling the story of Christ's friend Lazarus who was asked by Jesus to come out of his tomb in his funereal wrappings. On Lazarus Saturday, although a fast day, a spicy bread called Lazarakia is baked and eaten.
Easter customs span all week after Easter Sunday. On Monday, in the city of Giannitsa, in Pella ( birthplace of Alexander the Great) people start shaking things because "suspension" is believed to bring health and rich crops. On Thasos island, locals and visitors sing songs and dance in circle (a relic of Bacchic rites) asking for rain to come. The custom is a plea to April to bring rain.  In the city of Drama, the icons procession is also linked to the believers' request for protection of their crops against hailing during spring time. Easter celebrations are often associated with nature's awakening after its winter hibernation and this is why St. George is duly celebrated "at the heart of spring" (April 23). In another part of Drama, where people of Pontian descend settled, Easter is a time for memorial services and locals visit cemeteries, offer red eggs and sweets and perform 'rituals' with ancient roots.  |
| GNA Readers Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:50 AM PDT
The Greek News Agenda editorial team wishes its readers a happy Easter holiday. We will be back on Monday, May 2, 2011.  |
