GREEK EASTER 2017
Greek Orthodox Easter (Sunday April 16th 2017) Below are some of the Greek traditional celebrations to watch out for.
We have included some links to the food items in case anyone wants to try making them
Holy Thursday (April 13th) - The bright red dyed eggs that are symbolic of Easter in Greece are prepared. Tradition says
that the Virgin Mother, Mary, dyed eggs this color to celebrated the Resurrection of Christ and to celebrate life.
Good Friday or Great Friday(April 14th ) - Flags at homes and government buildings are set at half mast to mark the
mournful day.
Holy Saturday(April 15th ) - People begin to gather in the churches and squares in cities, towns and villages by 11 p.m. for
the Easter services. Large white candles, lampáda, are carried by the faithful. At midnight the church bells toll as the
priests announce Christós Anésti. Christ is Risen! Fireworks are set off, in some areas gunshots are fired. The people
make their way to homes of friends and relatives. The candles they carry are placed in each home and burn through the
night to symbolize the Light returned to the world. The red dyed Easter eggs that are found on the Resurrection Table
become pieces of a traditional game. Each person takes an egg and challengers attempt to crack each others’ eggs. The
breaking of the eggs is meant to symbolize Christ breaking from the Tomb. The person whose egg lasts the longest is
assured good luck for the rest of the year
The traditional foods on the Resurrection Table: hiroméri - smoked salted pork; cheeses; Magirítsa - a creamy, lemony
soup made from the lamb sweetmeats; kouloúra - Greek Easter bread; Tsoureki; Lambropsomo and other Easter breads
and plenty of wine, retsina and ouzo insure a feast that will last throughout the night.
Easter Sunday .- The Easter Sunday table is prepared and the festivities continue! The Easter meal is truly a feast. The
main dish at the Easter Table is the lamb or goat usually kid). Served in honour of the Lamb of God who was sacrificed
and rose again on Easter, the whole spiced lamb roasted over a charcoal fire is the most traditional of Greek Easter foods.
Each person that enters the home is greeted with Gigto kaló tis iméras! - For the good of the day! and with a plate of food
and an invitation to join in the feast. Besides bringing insult and bad luck to a host who is rejected, the foods are so
delicious...who could refuse?
Easter Sunday Evening: Σαϊτοπόλεμος (battle of the darts)This strange local custom goes back centuries to the Ottoman
period, when the Greeks displayed great heroism and ingenuity in their battles against the Turks. According to legend, the
Messenians were able to stop the cavalry of the Turks by constructing 'shuttles'* full of explosives. This unique custom
celebrated in Kalamata during the Holy Days, serves as a remembrance of the glorious struggles of the Greeks
* Now cardboard tubes filled with gunpowder.
Easter Monday (April 17th) - is a much more relaxed day when everyone gets ready to return to work and school. The
main work of Easter Monday is to finish the foods that were not eaten the day before!
The Greek Orthodox Paschal (Easter) season starts with The Great Lent, beginning on a Monday (Clean Monday) seven weeks before
Easter Sunday. The Greek Orthodox faith follows a modified Julian calendar to establish the date of Easter each year and Easter must fall
after Passover, so it does not always or often coincide with the date of Easter in other faiths.
The Duration of Lent - The weeks of the Great Lent are:
1. First Sunday (Sunday of Orthodoxy)
2. Second Sunday (St. Gregory Palamas)
3. Third Sunday (Adoration of Cross)
4. Fourth Sunday (St. John of Climax)
5. Fifth Sunday (St. Mary of Egypt)
6. Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday
Fasting
Greek Orthodox Lent is a time of fasting, which means abstaining from foods that contain animals with red blood (meats, poultry, game) and
products from animals with red blood (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.), and fish and seafood with backbones. Olive oil and wine are also restricted.
The number of meals on each day is also limited. Note: Vegetable margarine, shortening, and oils are allowed if they do not contain any dairy
products and are not derived from olives. The purpose of fasting is to cleanse the body as well as the spirit in preparation for accepting the
Resurrection at Easter, which is the most sacred of all observances in the Greek Orthodox faith.
Spring Cleaning
In addition to cleansing the body and spirit, Lent is also a traditional time for spring housecleaning. Houses and walls get new coats of
whitewash or paint, and inside, cupboards, closets, and drawers and cleaned and freshened.