HOLY SATURDAY

                                    Holy (or Great) Saturday

     On  Megalo Savvato (Holy Saturday), the sorrowful mood of  Holy Friday has somewhat abated. Now Greeks concentrate on the final preparations for the next day's Easter feast as Easter is the most sacred observance in the Greek Orthodox faith. Today is the last chance to buy the Easter lamb ( or sometimes goat).

     At home, dishes that can be prepared in advance are made and  the mageiritsa soup is being prepared. This is the traditional Easter soup, which will be eaten tonight after the midnight liturgy - the first meal to break the fast. It's very rich, made from a variety of herbs and the intestines and offal of the lamb which will be roasted on Easter Sunday.

     Also, today it is customary in many places in Greece for young people to light a huge bonfire in the churchyard to burn Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus.

     On Holy Saturday evening the Resurrection mass takes place. It is an occasion attended by everyone who is able, including children. At about 11.00 p.m. the churches are overfilled with people eagerly anticipating Christ's Anastasis– Resurrection.

HOLY FRIDAY

                                                Holy Friday

      Holy or Great Friday - Megali Paraskevi for the Greeks, (Good Friday for Catholics) is the holiest day of this week (Megali Evthomatha). It is a day of mourning, not of work and that often includes no cooking, too. If we do cook it's going to be without oil, most likely boiled in water, f.e. lentil soup. The shops are closed till 1.00 p.m. Sweet things are not eaten today-for the love of Christ, who was given vinegar to drink. It is considered a great sin to work with a hammer or nails or sew on Good Friday.

      It is also the only day during the year when the Divine Liturgy is not read. Flags are hung at half-mast and church bells ring all day in a slow mournful tone.

      Traditionally, after the evening service on Holy Thursday the women and young 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.

An embroidered cloth is placed on the bier; this is then sprinkled with flower petals. The priest places the Gospel (Evangelion) upon the Epitaphios.

HOLY THURSDAY

                              Holy (or Great) Thursday

      On Megali Pempti (Holy Thursday) the Greek Orthodox remember the Last Supper and the Betrayal of Christ. On this day we commemorate the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. During the Last Supper, Christ blessed the bread and wine with the very words that Catholic and Orthodox priests use today to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass and the Divine Liturgy. 

     On Holy Thursday's  evening liturgy, church services include a symbolic representation of the crucifixion 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. Afterwards the altar is stripped bare and all bells in the church become silent until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. The period of mourning begins.

     Easter preparations reach a climax on Holy Thursday when eggs are dyed red and the traditional Easter bread, tsoureki, and Easter biscuits, koulouria, are baked.

SPRING IS HERE!

Spring is here (at my balcony!)



My azalea is in full bloom, as you can see!

....and so is my cyclamen....



...and my camellia, too!

I can't wait for my gardenia and hydrangea and roses! I just love springtime! 

HOLY WEEK

HOLY WEEK (Megali evdomada)

     Today begins the most important week of the Orthodox calendar: It is Megali Evdomada-Holy Week (Literally:'Great Week'). (The Eastern Orthodox Church follows a modified Julian calendar, different than the rest of Christendom, which means that Orthodox Easter often falls on a different date).  Most of the  Greeks, even if they haven't fasted in the previous weeks during Lent, will do so now and this week the fasting is complete.
    
    In Greek, Easter is called Pasha, meaning passover: It is the eternal Passover from death to life and from earth to heaven. During this period part of our greeting each other, is wishing "Kalo Pasha" (Good Easter). We wish "Kali Anastasi" (Good Resurrection) when Easter Sunday is very close, especially after Holy Thursday and Holy Friday.

     During Holy Week there is a frenzy of preparations for Easter. That preparation means the cleaning and decoration of the house, the baking of the Easter biscuits (koulouria) and Easter bread (tsoureki) and the dyeing of the eggs. Getting the shopping done as early as possible for the big feast on Easter Sunday is another concern for all housewives. Many families leave the big cities and go to their villages (cottages) to celebrate the Easter Holidays. ( I must add that the schools are closed for two weeks, this one and the one after Easter. It's sort of, our Springbreak!).
   
     During Holy Week the churches are full each evening as the people follow, once more the Passion of Our Lord. Every day has a special service and the byzantine hymns are so beautiful this week.

    While there are many local customs associated with Easter, there are several observed by all, f.e. on Holy Tuesday, housewives make sweet rolls, the koulourakia, and the following day on Holy Wednesday they do the housework and boil the eggs so they are ready for the dying, while in the evening they follow the blessing of Holy Oil that takes place in church.

     There are so many customs and traditions about the celebration of Easter in Greece but I will tell you the most important and that only is going to need more than one post. So, stay tuned......!

     In the meantime I posted a short video that gives you an idea and a small summary of  Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations: 

               

Happy Easter !

May the glory of the Lord's miracle strengthen your faith and renew your hope!

    Happy Easter to all my friends around the globe who celebrate Easter tomorrow April 8th.

     For the Orthodox christians tomorrow is our Palm Sunday because this year, Orthodox Easter falls on Sunday, April 15, 2012.

It rarely coincides with the Roman Catholic Easter.

   On Palm Sunday (Κυριακη των Βαίων-Kyriake Ton Vyeon) the Church services celebrate the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. At the end of the service some sprigs of bay leaves are given to the people who 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.
 

    Next week, our Holy Week or Great Week (Μεγαλη Εβδομαδα-Megali Evthomatha) starts and I will keep you posted on the many and different events and traditions surrounding our Easter season which is the most significant and sacred time of the Orthodox Church calendar.