15/04/2017
Dear friends,
it is fortunate that Greek Orthodox Easter and catholic Easter are celebrated on the same date, this year. The dates are often different because they are based on the old Julian calendar. However, the Greeks have managed to transform Easter celebration to a far more festive season than a solemn religious celebration.
Easter follows Lent. In Lent, many Christians commit to fasting, as well as "giving up" certain luxuries in order to "replicate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s journey into the desert for 40 days.
Let's see the Holy week observations briefly.
Holy or Great Monday to Holy or Great Wednesday
The Matins service for Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week is known as the Bridegroom (Nymphios) Service or Bridegroom Prayer, because of their theme of Christ as the Bridegroom of the Church, a theme expressed in the troparion that is solemnly chanted near the beginning of the service. On these days, an icon of "Christ the Bridegroom" is placed on an analogion in the center of the temple, portraying Jesus wearing the purple robe of mockery and crowned with a crown of thorns, one of the Instruments of the Passion.
Maundy or Holy Thursday. The commemoration of The Last Supper which was more than Jesus’ last meal; it was a Passover meal, as well. One of the important moments of the Last Supper is Jesus’ command to remember what He was about to do on behalf of all mankind: shed His blood on the cross thereby paying the debt of our sins.The Washing of the Feet is a traditional component of the celebration among many Christian groups.
Maundy derives from the word mandate, reminiscent Jesus last commandment to love one another.
Good, Holy or Black Friday.Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.
Holy Saturday or Great Sabbath or Black Saturday is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter. It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body lay in the tomb and the Harrowing of Hell.
Easter Sunday Greek Orthodox Easter
The main date is Easter Sunday, or Easter Day, which is when Christ’s Resurrection took place.
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 coloured with red dye. Red is the colour 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 only simple foods such as tahini soup.
Flowers are taken to church to decorate a representation of the body of Christ, which is carried in a procession during a Service of Lamentation. (Epitafios)
On Easter Saturday, families prepare mayiritsa, a soup made from lamb (or goat kid) 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.
Worshippers go to church with special white candles which are lit just before midnight as the Eternal Flame on the altar is passed around the congregation.
After midnight, as Easter Day begins, there are early morning prayer services and a communion.
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.
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.
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. At midnight, the whole country comes to life with church bells, ships’ horns, floodlights and fireworks.
