Easter is the one of the most important holidays for people in Greece.
Greeks celebrate the festival with religious fervor, by attending
special church services. A number of customs are associated
with the celebration of the festival, which is a fifty-day
religious affair, in the nation.

While most of the events are concentrated in and around
the church, people in the country make it point that they enjoy
the holidays with their family, friends and close relatives as well.
Check out more information on the traditions of Easter in Greece.

Easter Customs

These are customs related to the religious holiday of Easter
which is the biggest celebration of the Orthodox Christians and the one
richest in folklore. The word "Pascha", Easter in Greek, stems
from the Jewish "Pasah" which means "Passover". Jewish people celebrated "Pasah"
to commemorate their liberation from the Egyptians and the passage of the Red sea, is "Lambri" (Brightness) because the day of the resurrection of Christ
is a day full of joy and exhilaration.

Easter is movable holiday. Its Celebration falls on the first Sunday
after the full moon of the spring equinox. All over the country a plethora
of customs and traditions are observed during the week prior to Easter (Holy Week).


The preparations for the celebration of the resurrection start on Holy Thursday.
On that day housewives traditionally prepare tsourekia (sweet buns resembling brioche)
and colour eggs with special red dyes. Ever since antiquity the egg symbolises the renewal
of life and the red colour symbolises the blood of Christ. In the past, people used
to place the first red egg on the icon stand of the house in order to cast tout evil spirits.
In some villages they used to mark the head and the back of small lamps
with the red dye used for the dyeing of the eggs. They also used to keep
one of the big round Holy Thursday loaves at the icon stand in order to protect
the members of the family from spells.


Friday is the most sacred day of the Holy Week, the day of the culmination
of the passion of Christ with the deposition from the cross and Christ's burial.
Because it is a day of mourning, housewives do not do any house chores, avoiding even cooking.
Women and children go to church to decorate the Epitaph (Bier of Christ)
with flowers they collect or buy. In the morning of Good Friday, Christ's Burial
is reenacted in church and in the evening the Epitaph procession takes place.

On Easter Saturday morning, preparations start for the festive dinner
of the night of the Resurrection and housewives cook "maghiritsa"
(a triple and herbs soup). Shortly before midnight, people gather in church holding
white candles which they light with the "Holy Light" distributed by the priest.
When the latter chants "Christ is risen" (Christos Ansesti), people exchange wishes
and the so-called "Kiss of Love". With the "Holy Light" of the candles then thrice
make the sign of the cross on the door post over the front door of their houses for good luck
Then they all gather around the festively laid table, they crack red eggs and feast
on the traditional "magiritsa".


On Easter Sunday morning, in many parts of the country lamb is prepared on the spit.
In other regions, the meat for the Ester table - lamp or kid - is roasted in the oven.
There is a festive atmosphere everywhere and people eat and dance usually until late into the night.