Happy Easter, everyone! Orthodox Easter is next week, mind you, but I thought it made more sense for me to post this today.
I know that, for most of you, Easter is about bunnies dropping chocolate eggs all over gardens (not to be confused with another, less sanitary kind of bunny droppings). For Greeks, though, it’s much, much more.
For example, rockets.
You may remember from last year’s Easter post how big a part fireworks of varying bang play. Then, there’s mayiritsa, skewered lamb, white candles, and red eggs.
No, I’m not making it up. Neither is it an April Fools’ Day joke.
Easter Day
Image: Pixabay
As Birmingham Live explains, the fasting of Lent continues throughout Holy Week, which ends on Easter Sunday. Preparations begin on Holy Thursday. Easter bread (tsoureki) is baked and eggs are colored with red dye. Red is the color of life and also symbolic of the blood of Christ.
Good Friday is a day of mourning. The most devout do not eat or cook at all, but if any cooking must be done, it’s foods such as lentil soup.
Flowers are taken to church to decorate a representation of the body of Christ, which is carried in a procession during an early evening Service of Lamentation.
The main date is Easter Sunday, or Easter Day, which is when Christ’s Resurrection took place. Preparations, however, start much earlier. In Greece itself, the Eternal Flame arrives by military jet on Easter Saturday and is given to the priests to take to their local churches. Families prepare mayiritsa, a soup made from lamb offal and tripe, cooked on the stove with onions and herbs (plus an egg and lemon sauce that’s mixed in at the end). Sometimes it’s made with chicken instead. It’s usually left on a low heat when everyone goes to church in the evening so it can be eaten when they get back.
Close to midnight, Easter Saturday, worshippers go to church with special white candles (traditionally brought to you by your godfather/godmother) which are lit just before midnight as the Eternal Flame on the altar is passed around the congregation. At midnight, the whole country comes to life with church bells, ships’ horns, floodlights, and fireworks.
Traditionally, the worshippers carry their flame home and use it to light other candles in the house. Families then gather around the table and break their fast with soup, bread, and eggs. Some, however, prefer instead to attend the after midnight early morning prayer services and communion.
On Easter Sunday morning, a meal of roast lamb is made and households enjoy a feast of eating and drinking until well into the night.
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Have a Happy Easter, Nicholas. I love hearing about other traditions. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Viv 🙂
Happy Easter, Nicholas! I love your traditions. It seems here in the US our traditions get watered down more and more over time. Our celebrations become more commercialized and less religion-based.
Recent years have reminded me of that famous aphorism, that everyone’s an atheist until the boat starts to sink. It’s strange to see how the financial crisis over here has resulted in an increase in religious expression. That’s mixed bag as far as I’m concerned, as religious intolerance is also on the rise.
Yes, no one is more religious than when facing a tough situation.
Happy Easter 🙂
Thank you, Vera! I hope you had a lovely one 🙂
A wonderful post, Nicholas – I always enjoy it when you share your lovely Greek traditions 🙂 Happy Easter to you and your beautiful family and may God bless you throughout the year 🙂
Thank you so much, Catherine! I hope you had a lovely one 🙂
Fascinating and engaging article. What beautiful ways to celebrate Holy Week. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely Greek Easter traditions, Nicholas. Many blessings to you and yours. Alleluia. Christ is risen indeed.
Hallelujah, Iris! I hope you had a lovely Easter 🙂
May the risen Lord bless you abundantly and bring lots of happiness to you and your family. Happy Easter.
You too, Mihran! Thank you 🙂
Happy Easter and God’s Blessings
Thank you, Chuck! Hope you had a lovely one 🙂
Love the fireworks! Happy Easter, Nicholas
As the narrator in Peppa Pig might say, *everyone* loves the fireworks (yes, we’ve been watching a lot of that lately 😀 )
Happy Easter from Canada Nicholas.
Leslie
Thank you, Leslie! Hope you had a lovely one 🙂
Thank you Nicholas, it was a lot quieter this year.
All I saw the title of your post in my email, and I thought of the video you posted. LOL! When I came in, I was like, “Yep.” Blessed Palm Sunday to you and any other Orthodox Christians following your blog (me being one of them). 🙂
Thank you, you too! It feels silly, Christians being unable to celebrate Easter as one, but what can you do.
Love this! We used to have red eggs because my mum spent a lot of time in Greece as a kid. Sadly I’m usually on the move at Easter now so the red eggs have fallen by the wayside. Christos aneste (no idea how to spell that right) for next week.
Cheers
MTM
Christos anaste sounds about right! Thank you, Mary. Hope you had a lovely one 🙂
I think a lot of people could use a little of your tradition. Happy Easter
That’s sweet, thank you 🙂
🙂
Happy Easter!!?
Thanks! Hope you had a lovely one 🙂
Those are beautiful traditions, Nicholas. Blessed and Happy Easter to you and your family. 🙂 — Suzanne
Thank you so much, Suzanne! I hope you had a lovely one 🙂
Happy Easter! I hadn’t heard this before. I love the grand celebration that occurs with this special holiday. It is one that deserves that as we celebrate the risen Lord!
Absolutely. Mind you, my personal celebration includes the midnight mass, to be honest, and not the mindless rocket-firing 😀
It sounds beautiful celebrating at midnight.
It can be quite a profound experience.
I can only imagine. God bless you!
Enjoy your Orthodox Easter next week, Nicolas. Heavy rain here, so a typical English Easter. 🙁
Best wishes, Pete.
Weather forecast predicts rain for us, too. Thanks for that, Pete 😀
Happy Easter to you too! ?
Thank you 🙂