Planning to visit Greece during the Greek Orthodox Easter?
Excellent choice!!!
You should feel so lucky to visit Greece during that period, and to be able to share with the locals the traditional activities which mark the progress of the forty days (
Sarakosti) towards Holy Week
(Megali Evdomada) and Easter
(Pascha) itself.
Easter does not just happen in Greece on the Holy week. It begins with
Apokreas, which is to Orthodox what Mardi Gras and Carnival is to Catholics. Several weeks of partying, a tradition that may go back to the celebrations of
Dionysious, take place all over Greece with special celebrations in Patras, Athens, and in various other towns and villages, many with special activities such as the famous Goat dances of Skyros. In Athens the last two weekends of Apokreas people dress up in costume and go to the
Plaka, hitting each other with plastic clubs that squeak, and throwing confetti. These clubs are thought to be a remnant of the veneration of the phallus from the ancient Dionysian festivals of Athens and in the town of
Tyrnavo in Thessaly giant penises are paraded through the streets There are celebrations in
Moschato and Rendi, between Athens and Pireaus, that are similar to being in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday.
In
Patras the celebrating goes on for forty days and as many as fifty-thousand people take part in the parades. But after the last weekend of Apokreas, known as cheese week (the week before is meat week) many Greeks begin their fasting on
Clean Monday, which is a day for spending time with friends and family, going to the countryside and flying kites. From clean Monday to the week of Easter things calm down conciderably.
The music associated with Orthodox Easter is beautiful, particularly the hymns of mourning sung on Good Friday. On the first Friday evening of Sarakosti there are the first of the
Chairetismoi (Salutations): these are prayers of devotion to the Mother of God, rather like the 'Hail Mary' of the Roman Catholic Church. A different group of these prayers is chanted on each of four Fridays; on the fifth Friday all four are chanted as the
Akathistos Hymn. 'Akathistos' literally means 'not sitting', as the congregation stands while the verses are chanted. To listen to the Hymn in the church of
Saint Dimitrios, in the Psyrri area of Athens is a really special experience. This church is rather unusual in having a choir as well as chanters, and in parts of the hymn there is an unobtrusive musical accompaniment.
A week after this comes Palm Sunday
(Kyriaki Ton Vaïon), when the Church services celebrate the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. In many churches, especially on the islands and in villages, little crosses have been made in the days before Palm Sunday and are given to the people at the end of the service. In Athens it is more likely to be some sprigs of bay leaves, but they are equally prized: people sometimes put them in purses, or keep them in their homes to bring good luck for the next year. For those who have been fasting there is a respite on this day, as fish is allowed.
Now the most important week of the Orthodox calendar begins: this is
Megali Evdomada (Literally 'Great Week'), when the pillars in the churches are covered with purple cloth and the services follow the Passion of Christ.
Most Greeks, even if they haven't fasted in the previous weeks, will do so now.
In food shops, especially bakeries and patisseries, you see new notices attached to the trays: 'Nistisima' means that the food has been made without animal products. Fasting certainly doesn't mean 'no food'! Some of the pastries and sweets made now are more delicious than at any other season; seafood is allowed and at this time of year it has been freshly caught.
On
Megali Pempti (Holy Thursday) the people remember the Last Supper and the Betrayal of Christ. Although so many people have left the city, the churches in Athens are always crowded: you have to go really early if you want to have a place to stand inside. (A place to sit will be almost impossible to find!) In the evening service the account of the Passion of Christ in all four gospels is read, and a cross with the figure of Christ on it is carried in a procession around the church, while the beautiful hymn 'Today he … is hung upon the tree ….' is chanted. Finally the crucifix is placed prominently in the middle of the church.
On this day the red eggs which are traditionally associated with Easter in Greece, are prepared. Packets containing the red dye are on sale everywhere this week. (Also blue and green!) In the homes hard boiled eggs are died red in memory of the blood of Christ.
Megali Paraskevi (Holy Friday) is the most solemn day of Holy Week. The shops are closed till 1.00 p.m., so that everyone can go to the church to venerate the crucifix. It's impossible not to be affected by the atmosphere of mourning: the church bells toll all morning, and the flags on official buildings are at half mast. The chanting from the cathedral is relayed by loudspeakers, so the people sitting in the cafés around the square are conscious that something memorable is taking place. After the evening service on Thursday, the women of each parish will have decorated a funeral bier with garlands of fresh flowers. During the Friday morning service the figure of Christ is taken down from the cross and wrapped in a white cloth, which is then placed in the sanctuary. An embroidered cloth, the Epitaphios, is placed on the bier; this is then sprinkled with flower petals. The priest places the Gospel (Evangelion) upon the Epitaphios. (This word is also used to refer to the bier itself).
During the rest of the day, the churches are filled with people paying reverence to the Epitaphios.
In the evening comes the service of the
Epitaphios (Funeral Service). The bier is taken out of the church and carried round the streets in solemn procession, while a Lament, mourning the death of Christ, is sung. This is one of the most moving parts of the Easter rituals: a band comes first, playing solemn music; the Epitaphios congregation follows the with lighted candles, while people in the flats which the procession passes watch from their balconies, holding candles or incense burners. In some areas, like Piraeus, the processions from different churches will converge in a square: the sight of several processions coming together, each with its own Epitaphios, is really impressive. Finally the procession returns to the church. This used to be a signal for people to descend upon the Epitaphios and to strip it of most of the flowers. However, in the church of Saint Spyridon in Piraeus, the Epitaphios is placed safely behind the gates at the front of the church; a priest then distributes handfuls of flower petals to the congregation. I think this is a perfect solution – everyone has a reminder of the occasion to take home, but the decoration of the Epitaphios remains intact, to be enjoyed by visitors to the church until Easter has passed.
On the next day,
Megalo Savvato (Holy Saturday), the sorrowful mood of Friday has abated. Now the people concentrate on the final preparations for Easter itself. This is the last chance to buy the Easter lamb, and the atmosphere in the meat market is frenetic as people try to secure a last minute bargain. At home, the
mageiritsa is being prepared. This is the traditional Easter soup, which will be eaten after the midnight liturgy - the first meal to break the fast after nearly fifty days. It's very rich, made from a variety of herbs and the intestines and offal of the lamb which will be roasted for celebratory lunch on Easter Sunday. Surprisingly, many Greeks don't actually like this soup, but it is an essential element in the ritual, and
no Easter table would be complete without it. (you have to try it ! )
At about 11.00 p.m. the churches are full again for the service of the
Anastasis – Resurrection. There is a feeling of anticipation as the people stand waiting, holding white candles.
Many of these will have a sort of plastic cup fitted to the top, designed to prevent the hot wax from falling on to hands, or the church floor! Just before midnight the lights in the church are extinguished, then the priest comes from the sanctuary holding a lighted candle. From this, at the stroke of midnight he lights someone else's candle; people begin to light their candles from each others' and the church gradually becomes bright with the light of the candles. All over the city, church bells are pealing, as the priest chants
'Christos anesti' ' ( Christ has risen from the dead ) . There is a feeling of relief and happiness, as people repeat 'ChristosAnesti' to each other and the reply is given
'Alithos Anesti!' ( 'He is risen indeed ) ! Outside, the noise increases until all the bells are pealing.(Not all the churches reach midnight at exactly the same moment!)
Fire crackers are set off (unfortunately, every year we have lethal accidents caused by fire crackers!) , the ships in the harbour sound their horns. The chanting continues outside the church, but now most people begin to make their way home, in groups of family or fiends, holding their lighted candles. The aim is to get your candle home without losing the flame, but this can be difficult, especially if there's a wind. People are constantly stopping to relight strangers' candles and this adds to the jollity – it's always a memorable experience to be walking throught the streets in the early hours, surrounded by people carrying candles. Even the interiors of the cars that pass are glowing with them! When the people reach home, the head of the family makes the sign of the cross three times over the door with the candle. The smoky mark of the cross will remain until next year.
Now the Easter feasting begins, but in the churches the Easter liturgy, or mass, is still going on. You could stay until the end of the service – the chanting is beautiful, and now you can be sure of finding a seat! In
Saint Spyridon's church, in Piraeus, the members of the congregation are given a packet at the end of the service, containing a small
tsoureki, the traditional sweet Easter bread, an
Easter koulouri (biscuit), a little paper icon depicting the Resurrection and a red egg.
These eggs are an essential part of the Easter tradition. A game is played with them in which each person tries to crack someone else's egg with his own. The winner is the person whose egg lasts the longest: the prize is
good luck all year!
Although the family will have shared the eating of the mageiritsa, eggs and Easter bread on returning from church, the real Easter feast takes place at lunchtime on Easter Sunday (
Kyriaki Tou Pascha).
In the country, people will spend the morning
roasting whole lambs, or kids, turning them slowly on spits over charcoal fires in the open air. Even in Athens, you could see people roasting their lamb in the street - there's very little traffic in the city on Easter Day!
The church celebrations do not end with the midnight liturgy: on Sunday there is another service in the afternoon, called Vespers of Agape (Love). This is really beautiful in the cathedral in Athens: it is celebrated by the Archbishop and literally dozens of priests, all in gorgeous robes. The hymn 'Christ is risen from the Dead' is repeated, as it will be in every church service for forty days, until Ascension Day. Sometimes a choir sings Byzantine hymns, but for me the most memorable part is the chanting of the gospel, which on Easter Sunday is the story of the
disciple Thomas, who didn't believe that Jesus had appeared to the other disciples after the Crucifixion. This is traditionally chanted in different languages – as many as the priests can provide.
The decorated Epitaphios is less prominent now: it is empty, except for a sign which says
'He is Risen; He is not here'. This sign will remain until next year – a message of hope.
If you want to have a ....traditional Greek Easter we strongly recommend to head for an island or the countryside.
However, during this week (
Megali Evdomada) Athens steadily becomes empty, as people leave to go to their family village or island. For those who remain, and for visitors to Athens, this has the advantage that it's easier to get an unrestricted view of activities!
Want to see how serious Greeks take Easter?...........The computerised signs on the front of the city buses also have a message. On Saturday it is 'Kali Anastasi' (Literally 'Good Resurrection'); on Sunday it is 'Kalo Pascha' – 'Happy Easter'. I don't think there are many countries where you'll see that on public transport!
