Holy Week and Easter

Easter is the greatest and most important period for the Orthodox Christian belief! It consists of two weeks and lasts as much. The first one is called the "Holy Week" while the second "Easter Week".

Holy Week
Also called the Week of Passions (Εβδομάδα των Παθών), is dedicated to the passions of Jesus Crist. Even though other parts of the Bible are being mentioned and celebrated, it's mainly focused on all the events from the Last Supper through the Ressurection. It starts on Palm Sunday and it ends on Holy Saturday (8/4-14/4 for this year, generaly there's no standard date). During this week, each day is dedicated to one or more events from the Bible.

More specificaly:

• Palm Sunday is to the arrival of Christ in Jerusalem.
• Holy Monday is to Josef (son of Jakob from the Old Testament).
• Holy Tuesdey is to the parable of the "Ten Virgins".
• Holy Wednesday is to the sinful woman who regreted for her sins and believed in Jesus.
• Holy Thursday is to the Last Supper, the betrayal of Judas and all the way to the crucifiction.
• Good Friday is to the pieta of Jesus from the cross and his burial.
• Holy Saturday is to the ressurection of Jesus.

During these days there are attendances taking place in orthodox churches where they read the respective parts from the Bible and through rituals they relive each event (e.g. they moan during the crucifiction, they move the image of Jesus from the cross to the Epitaph during the pieta etc.)

More details about the traditions we hold
Did you know that in Greece…. 

• On Good Friday the people of the towns and villages carry candles and follow the procession of the Epitaph.

 • On Holy Saturday the ceremony of the resurrection takes place in the courtyard in front of all churches, bells ring all over the town and children explode fireworks in order to make the bad spirits go away! Candles are lit one from the other and then the people make their way home for the traditional feast of dyed red Easter eggs and the Mayiritsa soup.

 • Easter Sunday is the biggest church holiday in Greece. All over the country lambs are roasted on a spit, there is wine in abundance and the traditional sweet bread called Tsureki (something like brioche). Red eggs are cracked against each other and the person with the last remaining uncracked egg will have good luck. This is the most beautiful time to be in Greece if the weather is good.

• Anastasia and Anastasios celebrate their name day on Easter.

Whoever stays in Athens it would be a great opportunity to attend the ceremony on Good Friday and Holy Saturday as well as have the traditional Easter meal on Sunday at a taverna. You can find small and old churches and tavernas in Plaka (but they would be quite expensive). 

More info

Easter Week
During this week, every day is considered to be like Easter Sunday! We celebrate the ressurection and spread the message of it everywhere. We say "Christos Anesti" (Christ is ressurected) to each other and reply "Alithos Anesti" (He trully has).