The Greek people are very religious and religion is a part
of everyday life here in Greece.
The
dominating religion here is Greek Orthodox which is Christian and very similar
to the Catholic religion.
The celebrations begin about 7 weeks prior to Easter with
the Carnival Season, called the “Apokreas.”
The last two days of Carnival boast parades all over the country but the
biggest is in Patras which is about 3 hours south of Athens in the Peloponnese
area. The last day of carnival is marked
with a burning of one of the floats at midnight and the next day is the first
day of Lent, called “Clean Monday” or in Greek, “Kathara Defthera.” Clean Monday is the day that we clean up after
the carnival and we clean out our fridge for fasting. Eggs, meat, cheese and depending upon how
rigorous you plan to fast, you may even put the oils away. The day is celebrated by going to the
countryside to enjoy a meal and fly your kite.
This year we were in a small mountain village in Northern Greece where
the municipality offered bean soup “Fasolada”, halva, “Lagana” (which is a
bread specially prepared for this day only and it is made for fasting), olives
and of course wine and music; all for free! The day was perfectly sunny and a warm 75
degrees with a breeze strong enough to get the kites up high. Fasting will continue for the next 7 weeks
until Easter Sunday.
Holy week is the 7 days before and including Easter
Sunday.
This is truly the best time of
year to be in Greece no matter what you believe in.
The locals will go to Church every day throughout
this week as special liturgies are read each day.
In the morning on Holy Thursday the
parishioners are called to receive Holy Communion which represents the earthly
presence of Christ as it did at the last supper.
In
the evening of Holy Thursday the Greek Orthodox Church will have the
preparation for the “Epitafi,” which literally translates to funeral.
That evening parishioners will prepare a
symbolic coffin, lavishly adorned with flowers and have it available for viewing
at the Church.
It is the reliving of
events leading up the crucifixion and burial of Christ.
Waking up for your first time on Good Friday is something
you will never forget as long as you live.
The church bells start ringing very early in the morning with a slow
ominous “ding… ding, ding… ding.” This
goes on throughout the day at specific intervals. In Greece when a person dies the Church rings
the bell in the morning to notify the parishioners that there will be a burial
that day. On Good Friday the bells ring
throughout the day as a constant reminder and the quiet of the day will bring
upon a sort of gloom in the air that is undeniable. In the afternoon the priest will take the
body of Christ down from the crucifix, wrap it in a shroud and place it on the
altar. Following the service called “the
Lamentations at the Tomb,” the priest will carry the Epitaphios (which is a
painted cloth likeness of Christ) and place it in the coffin as a symbol of the
Tomb of Christ. The priest will then
lead a Each parishioner will hold a lit candle and
chant as they walk around the square.
procession out of the Church and into the village square. Ι can describe Good Friday in as much detail as possible but
there is one aspect present that you can only understand if you are physically
there to experience it. As you are
walking with your lit candle in the procession or if you are just looking upon
it from the sidelines, you will become overwhelmed with a feeling of
unity. Looking over thousands of candles
in the hands of men, women and children, people in the square, those on their
balcony overlooking the square, shop owners standing on their doorsteps with a
candle in hand, the chanting, the mourning…
This is an entire community coming together in lamentation over the
death of Jesus Christ. It is not the
typical Sunday and dragging yourself out of bed to be a good Christian who goes
to Church. This is people out in the
street, rain or wind and holding a candle and being part of something. So many will have tears in their eyes, it is
the mourning of the death of Christ and it is overwhelming. Then, when thinking about it even more you
realize that it Then you realize… it is not
only in Greece but this is happening all over the world. You become part of something so very
important, so vast that it has transcended more than 2000 years and has landed
right in your hands as you hold a candle and begin to weep in awe of it
all. It gives rise to so many other
realizations and questions and once you have experienced this, life has changed
somehow.
is not only this small community but the entire country has
stopped everything completely to take to the streets and join a procession of
mourners.
By now you and your family will have purchased your
“lambadas.” These are the candles you
will use on Holy Saturday to receive the Holy Fire. Lambadas are a huge business in Greece as
everyone must have one and they are decorated lavishly. For the children they come with game packs,
toys and in just about every theme you can imagine. You might also want to get a small lantern to
bring the flame home with you, burning the doorframe slightly as you enter to
keep evil out.
Holy Saturday is marked with the Greek Patriarch receiving
the Holy Fire from Jerusalem.
This is
another amazing event and a true miracle that takes place every year.
There is a church called the “Church of the
Resurrection” located in the Old City of Jerusalem (also called the “Church of
the Holy Sepulchre”).
The Tomb of
Christ is located here and at noon on Holy Saturday, several important
Patriarchs enter the area known as the “Sepulchre” and pray.
After their prayers a miraculous light
emerges and two candles are lit from it.
The area is packed with people and as soon as the first two candles are
lit, other candles light spontaneously.
At first the fire does not burn to the touch and many people will put
their hands and faces into the flames without being burned.
The flame is handed from person to person by
candle and flown all over the world.
Throughout the day the candle is passed from priest to priest, church to
church and finally just before midnight the parishioners will go out into the
courtyard of the Church and receive the flame for their lambadas.
Moments later at precisely midnight, the
church bells will ring frantically signifying the resurrection of Christ.
The priest will loudly proclaim “Christos
Anesti,”
(Christ has risen)!!
Fireworks and fire crackers can be heard everywhere;
there is no sleep for the wicked this night!
The lamb has been slaughtered and we return home after
midnight to eat a meal of soup made from the entrails of the animal, it is
called Margaritsa and it is the first meat consumed in more than 40 days. In the morning after the Easter service we
set to work in preparation for the feast.
Easter is called “Pascha” in Greek and it refers to “The Feast of Feasts.” People gather together to celebrate and
roast a lamb on an spit over an open flame.
Easter eggs have been dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ and will
be present on every Easter table. There
will be home made wine flowing, music playing and a lighthearted feeling
throughout the countryside.
In some areas of Greece rows of lambs are roasted in the
village square, in other areas the town shouts “Judas!”
Mykonos is one of the biggest destinations
for celebrating Easter and every year the island is packed to full capacity for
a few days.
No matter where you celebrate
Easter in Greece, it is sure to be an experience you will never forget.
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