Easter in Greece: the celebration of spring!
Easter in Greece: the celebration of spring!
With April comes warmer days and plenty of opportunities to explore everything that Greece has to offer. While you should not expect beach weather, there are still many adventures and destinations to make your April holiday in this Mediterranean country memorable.
Easter or “Pascha” in Greek is a standout amongst the most critical occasions and it is set apart with a great deal of aplomb.
By far the most important celebration for the Greeks and known to be one of the richest in folklore, the celebration of Orthodox Easter (Pascha) is unique all over Greece. Throughout the country, Easter customs become a herald of the spirit’s and nature’s rebirth, while Easter celebrations constitute a vivid aspect of the folk culture, rich in meaning and symbolism.
Throughout Greece, Good Friday is known as the day of mourning, the day of the culmination of the passion of Christ with the deposition from the cross and Christ’s burial. Women and children go to church to decorate the Epitaph (Bier of Christ) with flowers, while in the evening the Epitaph procession takes place, where the symbolic coffin is taken out of the church and carried through the streets by the believers. Here are a few suggestions that are right in the heart of the capital and in picturesque locations:
- Filopappou Hill: Church of Agios Demetrios Loumpardiaris
- Plaka District: Agios Dimitrios or Agia Aikaterini
- Syntagma Square: Panagia Kapnikarea (on Ermou St.)
- Monastiraki (Agia Irini Square): Agia Irini
On Holy Saturday morning, bay leaves are scattered over the church floor, symbolizing the glory and victory of Christ over death. When the clock strikes 12 pm at night, the locals gather and hurl firecrackers at the central Square or church of each town/village to celebrate the Resurrection and welcome in Easter Sunday. The candles people carry have all been lit from one inside the church, the “Holy Flame”. It is said that if you make it home without your candle going out, good luck is yours for the next year. The Holy Saturday Dinner takes place after midnight and consists of the traditional Magiritsa (soup made with the intestine of the lamb), tsoureki and red-dyed eggs.
One recommendation on this night is the St. George church up on scenic Lycabettus Hill in Kolonaki. Arrive around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. and you’ll also get an amazing view to boot. Purchase a lambada or long stemmed candle. It will be lit at midnight — lit by the flame of a fellow church goer. At that time the priest announces the resurrection of Christ and everyone greets one another saying “Christos anesti“ meaning Christ has risen.
Easter Sunday is a holiday that is spent with family, relatives and friends. On Sunday morning, mainly in Greek countryside, lamb is prepared on the spit and people eat and dance usually until late at night. The Easter meal is truly a feast with loads of salads, meat and rice dishes, breads, cakes, cookies, and plenty of wines and ouzo.
Easter is by far the holiest of Greek holidays, but it is also the most joyful, a celebration of spring, of rebirth in its literal as well as figurative sense. Greeks celebrate life to its fullest and Easter is a very good example of that.
Practical tips during your travel in Greece:
- Museums and Archeological sites are usually closed on Easter Sunday only, and maybe some places will have reduced opening hours on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. For details visit the official site http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/1/eh10.jsp
- Bars, restaurants, shops, on Good Friday most shops are open after lunch time. Holy Saturday operates normally and Easter Sunday are closed all day long. Bar and restaurants are not really affected till Sunday.
- Select to taste more veg options and lentil meals on restaurants during the holy week as it’s lent week, and some special dishes eg “magiritsa”, are served on Holy Saturday on midnight. Easter Sunday morning Greek people roast lamps on open pit fires and do not miss to take part on this unique experience.
- Spring in Greece means warmer days, with an average temperature of 15°C (59°F). The average low is about 11°C (52°F), and the average high reaches 19°C (66°F), but always advise the weather forecast before travelling so as to know what to pack.
- Orthodox Easter celebrations. The majority of the festivities fall on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday is usually quiet as Greeks celebrate with their families at home or in tavernas, while Easter Monday is seen as a recovery day. Shops & banks are closed during the four-day period (Good Friday to Easter Monday).
- The Symbolism of Cracking Red Eggs on Easter. On the first hours of Easter Sunday and right after “Christ has risen” we crack red eggs during dinner. This tradition-while fun as a game-has the symbolism of resurrection and new life. The egg is seen by followers of Christianity as a symbol of resurrection: while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it. Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, shed on the Cross, and the hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed Tomb of Christ—the cracking of which symbolizes his resurrection from the dead.
Last but not least, here we give you a traditional recipe for making your own ‘Tsoureki’ (Greek Easter Sweet Bread): Tsoureki-recipe. pdf