Easter in Greece7th Primary School of Agii Anargyri,

Athens, Greece

Greek Easter traditions

Easter is the one of the most sacred holidays for people in Greece. Greeks celebrate the festival with religious fervor, by attending special church services. A number of customs are associated with the celebration of the festival, which is a fifty-day religious affair, in the nation.This year, the Holy Week starts on Monday, 29th March

Holy Week

The week leading up to Easter is called Holy Week( Megali Evdomada) and this is when most people take their fasting seriously.Church services are held throughout Holy Week.Many tavernas close during this week, and the ones that stay open have mostly seafood and vegetable dishes on their menu.

Holy ThursdayHoly Thursday is the day for dyeing eggs red. The egg, is a symbol of life, while red is the color of life.In the evening, after the reading of the 12 Gospel, the girls undertake the decoration of the Bier of Christ (epitaphios) with garlands of flowers, so that in the morning of Good Friday it is ready to receive the image of the body of Christ when He is taken down from the Cross. Flowers of various colours are used but in Crete it is common to use the flowers of the lemon tree.

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Good Friday is a day of mourning. The drama of the death of Christ is followed with great devoutness. The icon of Christ is taken off the cross, wrapped in linen and put it in the Bier (Epitafios) symbolizing the tomb of Christ.Late at night the bier is carried through the town or village. A band or choir playing or singing solemn music precedes the procession; they are followed by the cantors, the clergy, women bearing myrrh, the altar boys carrying the liturgical fans, scouts and guides, and the people of the region, who sing the hymns throughout the procession. All along its route, people scatter flowers and perfumes on the epitaphios (bier), holding lighted candles in their hands.

Good FridayEpitafios (The bier)

Saturday, before Easter Sunday

On Saturday before Easter Sunday, the Orthodox Patriarch of Greece breaks the seal of the door of the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and emerges with the Holy Fire. The flame is then flown by Olympic Airways, accompanied by high-ranking priests and government officials to Athens airport, where it is met by an honor guard to the small church of Agia Anargyroi in the Plaka. From there, the light is distributed to churches all over Attika and the rest of Greece.

Saturday, before Easter Sunday

As Saturday evening approaches, people congregate in the church, carrying unlit candles. At midnight, the priest announces the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ ("Christos anesti") and lets the people illuminate their candles of the Holy Flame, taken from Christ's nativity cave in Jerusalem. After the late-night resurrection service of the Greek Orthodox Church, resurrection soup 'mageritsa' is served to the congregation.

Saturday, before Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, spit-roast lamb is the centerpiece of the table. In the early morning, the spits will be turning in the courtyards and as the lamb, "kokoretsi" is slowly cooked, and the aroma of the roasting lamb whets the appetite of the hungry souls. Christopsomon, a round, flat loaf marked with a cross and decorated with red Easter eggs, is another Greek Easter delicacy that should not be missed out, when you are celebrating Easter in Greece.

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter

Καλό ΠάσχαKalo Pasha