Author Topic: Easter  (Read 5827 times)

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Offline HiFi

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Easter
« on: Monday, 10 April, 2017 @ 19:20:39 »
Was sent this by a friend for this week.

Throughout Holy Week the churches hold services at least once a day. Traditionally the people fast and no meat, oil or dairy products are eaten until midnight on Easter Saturday, after the symbolic Ressurection.

Holy Monday – Megali Deftera
The first day of Holy Week. People go to church and kiss the icon of Christ.

Holy Tuesday – Megali Triti
A day of mourning. The women bake Easter biscuits «koulouraki” with oil and eggs, to be eaten after the fast is over on Saturday.

Holy Wednesday – Megali Tetarti
A special church service for worshippers to be blessed with oil. All household chores must be finished today.

Holy Thursday – Megali Pempti
Communion services in church start early morning today and churchgoers bow before Christ on the Cross. The women dye eggs red to symbolise the blood of Christ, and bake Easter bread – Tsoureki. These will be placed on the Easter table to be eaten after Saturday.

Holy Friday – Megali Paraskevi
The most sacred day of Holy Week and is a day of mourning. The church bells ring the death knell all morning. Girls decorate the Epitafio – the funeral bier and a service is held for Christ’s funeral. Today is a day of rest for women and men are forbidden to play cards. At dusk the Epitafio is paraded through the village or town streets with a quiet processon in tow. This is a sombre parade.

Holy Saturday – Megalo Savvato
The church once again holds a service in the morning, and the church is filled with flowers. In the villages men slaughter lambs for Easter Sunday. The women bake cheese pies – kalitsounia. In Crete children make an efigy of Judas to burn on bonfires later at the midnight celebration.

The Midnight Easter Service & The Resurrection – Saturday Night
The Anastasi, the Resurrection, takes place at midnight and is the culmination
of Holy Week. The whole of Greece, it seems, attends church for the midnight
service and the lighting of the Holy Flame. The Priest passes the Holy Flame throughout the congregation and all light a candle with cries of Christos Anesti!- Christ is Risen. Fireworks are then let off in celebration. The people take their lit candles home and make the sign of a cross with the black from the candle flame in the doorway of their homes before entering.
The breaking of the Fast takes place now, at midnight after the church service people go home to eat Mageiritsa – a meat soup made with offal, plus the red eggs and kalitsounia.


Easter Sunday – Kyriaki tou Paska
Families and friends meet up for the Easter Day roasting of lamb outside on a spit and a big celebration party with food, wine, music and dancing all day long.

Offline Becky

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Re: Easter
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday, 11 April, 2017 @ 14:21:25 »
Thank you for the information, we arrive on Saturday staying near Fiskardo and can't wait!

Offline Maik

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Re: Easter
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday, 11 April, 2017 @ 17:01:01 »
Quote
An overview of Greek Orthodox Holy Week

In the Orthodox Christian Church, Great Lent and Holy Week are two separate things. Officially, Great Lent ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and Holy Week begins the day after that. Each day during Holy Week has a special meaning, and understanding what each day represents can help making attending all those church services a lot more meaningful!

It’s also customary to fast throughout Holy Week. For many, they adhere the same general fasting plan they had during Great Lent. Others make their Holy Week fast a little bit more strict.
www.greekboston.com via protothema.gr

Offline TonyKath

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Re: Easter
« Reply #3 on: Friday, 14 April, 2017 @ 18:17:49 »
Thanks for the info HiFi  :btu:

I reckon you need to live there or be married to a Greek to follow it.  Possibly both!   :blink: :blink:

Tony

Offline Cheshirechick

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Re: Easter
« Reply #4 on: Saturday, 15 April, 2017 @ 21:49:39 »
How wonderful it must be to be part of this religious festival which symbolizes the true meaning of Easter.  In the UK it is just a feast of chocolate eggs, visits to the DIY and Garden Centres and rubbish TV programmes.

Offline Phil

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Re: Easter
« Reply #5 on: Sunday, 16 April, 2017 @ 00:08:16 »
In the UK it is just a feast of chocolate eggs, visits to the DIY and Garden Centres and rubbish TV programmes.

I presume you read about "Easter" being dropped from some Easter Egg Hunts.

I agree too about the quality of Easter TV, although if one viewed elsewhere, other than the 4 major channels, there was some good Easter viewing.

Phil
(in Kef during the Eurovision Song Contest - look out for a new thread!!!)

 

Offline Maik

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Re: Easter
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday, 18 April, 2017 @ 12:35:43 »
in Kef during the Eurovision Song Contest - look out for a new thread!!!


J***s C***t, Phil - we hardly ever hear from you and when we do you threaten a topic about Eurovision