MAY DAY IN GREECE
May Day (1rst of May) is a holiday which started in ancient Greece. It was the most important celebration of the Spring and they name it "Anthestiria", means all flowers in bloom.
The origin of the name of May comes from the beautiful nymph Maia, the mother of god Hermes. Later on the Romans adapted the same name , calling it Mayia.
May corresponded in ancient Greece to the month Thargilion. It was the month that the earth gave them the flowers, the fruits and the vegetables and the fresh grass for their flocks. Actually it is the end of the Winter and the beginning of the Spring and was symbolizing the resurrection, the beginning of the new life and the victory over the death.
This was the reason that on this month they celebrated the Anthestiria in the honor of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and cultivation of the earth. This was the time that Demeter's beloved daughter Persephone, was leaving the darkness of Pluto's underworld palace to be rejoined with her mother.
The celebration of Anthestiria in Athens started with a big procession. Singing hymns and holding flowers they visited the sanctuaries of their gods and especially the ones of Demeter and Persephone.
Those celebrations were spread out all over Greece and finally were adapted by the Romans.
Today in many countries people celebrate the May Day with flowers without knowing the Greek origin of this custom.
Nowadays in Greece the First of May is not a religion celebration but the roots are the same. The most important custom is the flower-wreath of May symbolizing -as in the ancient years- the arrival of the Spring and the regeneration of the nature and the fertility of the earth.
The wreath of the First of May is made usually with wild flowers and they hung it on the balconies or on top of the door.
In the Greek cities of Asia Minor people used to add on the flower wreath a garlic (to protect them from the evil-eye) , a pin (to protect them from the enemies) and a wheat (for fertility). Even today this custom is kept on many islands of the Aegean and other parts of Greece.
On the island of Corfu they make a procession which is carrying a branch of cypress-tree decorated with yellow daisies and they put a wreath on it made by fresh green branches
MAY DAY IN GREECE
May Day (1rst of May) is a holiday which started in ancient Greece. It was the most important celebration of the Spring and they name it "Anthestiria", means all flowers in bloom.
GREEK EASTER
"Pascha" (=Easter) in Greece is the most important religious holiday of the year and the one richest in folklore. For the Greek Orthodox , Pascha is even more important than Christmass. The word "Pascha" stems from the jewish "Pesach" which means passover. Jewish people celebrated "Pesach" to commemorate their liberation from the Egyptians and the passage of the Red Sea, while Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the passage from the death to life, from earth to heaven.
In ancient Greece, Easter time coincided with the month of Anthesterion, a celebration of spring and the rebirth of vegetation.
The preparation for the Greek Easter starts 40 days before. It is the period of Lent, in greek "Saracosti". During this period the devout avoid all animal products (meat, milk, butter etc).
A nice Greek custom of this period is the "Lady Saracosti", a calendar of the period of Lent. Women and children draw on a piece of paper the figure of a woman who had no mouth , as Lady Saracosti is fasting, and whose hands were joined together as in prayer. She had seven legs, one for each week. Every Saturday they cut off one leg. On Holy Saturday they cut off the last leg and they put it in a dry fig so that it would bring luck to whoever found it.
"Pascha" (=Easter) in Greece is the most important religious holiday of the year and the one richest in folklore. For the Greek Orthodox , Pascha is even more important than Christmass. The word "Pascha" stems from the jewish "Pesach" which means passover. Jewish people celebrated "Pesach" to commemorate their liberation from the Egyptians and the passage of the Red Sea, while Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the passage from the death to life, from earth to heaven.
A nice Greek custom of this period is the "Lady Saracosti", a calendar of the period of Lent. Women and children draw on a piece of paper the figure of a woman who had no mouth , as Lady Saracosti is fasting, and whose hands were joined together as in prayer. She had seven legs, one for each week. Every Saturday they cut off one leg. On Holy Saturday they cut off the last leg and they put it in a dry fig so that it would bring luck to whoever found it.
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| Lady Saracosti |
On the Saturday before the Holy Week, the resurrection of Lazarus is celebrated. The housewives bake the "Lazarakia". Those are cookies that have the shape of a man (which is supposed to be Lazarus) wrapped in a shroud.This day children are going from door to door singing the hymn of "Lazarus" and collecting money and eggs.
The next day is called Palm Sunday. This day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, when crowds were waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the Messia. The branches of the palm trees sympolize Christ's victory over the devil and death. In Greece all churches are decorated with palm and bay branches. Many people place these palm leaves into the icon stand of the house as blessings and lucky charms.
The church of Saint Marina decorated with palm branches
THE HOLY WEEK " Megali Evdomada" in Greek
During the Holly Week the churches hold services every day. People fast and don't eat meat, fish or dairy products until midnight on Easter Saturday.
Tsoureki (Traditional sweet) , Greek Easter
Tsourekia, Greek Easter
koulourakia (cookies) Greek Easter
koulourakia (after baking)
In the evening after the reading of the 12 Gospels, girls and women start the decoration of the "Epitaph" with garlands of flowers. The Epitaph is a wooden construction like a table and contains a piece of linen embroidered representing the dead Christ.
Holy Friday -or Good 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. The icon of Christ is taken off the cross, wrapped in linen and put in the Epitaph. The church bells are ringing all day in a slow mournful tone, even flags are hug at half-mast . In the evening is the holy ceremony of the burial of Christ. The procession of the Epitaph takes place at 9 p.m. for all the churches. The Epitaph is carried on the shoulders of the faithful in a procession through the streets of each community. In front of the procession is the wooden cross of Christ , then follow the altar boys carrying the lanterns and church banners , the cantors, the clergy and women bearing myrrh. Further back four or more men carrying on their shoulders the Epitaph. People follow the procession holding their dark-colored candles.
The Epitaph, Holy Friday in Greece
The procession of the Epitaph
On Holy Saturday at the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarch enters the Holy Sepulcher alone to pray . There he receives the Holy Light in a miraculous way. The Holy Light is transferred by plane from Jerusalem to the Athens Airport and from there it is taken all over Greece. Meanwhile preparations start for the festive dinner of the night of the Resurrection and housewives cook the traditional maghiritsa soup, which will be eatten after the midnights service. In the evening takes place the Resurrection mess. People are gathering in the churches at 11 p.m. holding white candles. Children carry special candles made for Easter that are called lambades and are given as gifts to them from their God-parents. The lambades exist in a big variety of colors and designs and many times they are sold together with a toy. Shortly before midnight all lights in the church are turned off , then the priest is coming out of the church holding the candle which is lighted with the Holy Light . At midnight he announces the resurrection of Christ . People tell each other Christos Anesti! (Christ is risen!) and Alithos Anesti! (He is truly risen!) and exchange wishes. The church bells ring joyously and fireworks are let off. People, carefully, take home their lighted candles . Before entering their houses they use the smoke of their candle to make a cross on top of the door for protection .Then they light the oil candle before their icon-stand. They gather around the table for a traditional meal which includes the mageiritsa (a soup made of the lamb's internal organs: liver, heart, lungs and intestines with an egg-lemon sauce), tsourekia (sweet bread), koulourakia (cookies). During the dinner red eggs are cracked. Every member of the family choose an egg and try to crack the eggs of the others . At the end, only one egg remains uncracked and the owner will have good luck. It's a game that children and adults are enjoying. The breaking of the eggs symbolizes Christ breaking the Tomb and defeating Death.
Traditional red -coloured eggs , Greek Easter
Easter Sunday is also called "Lambri" (Brightness) because the day of the Resurrection of Christ is a day full of joy . Everyone is getting up early to prepare the Easter Sunday 's table. In most parts of the country lamb is prepared on the spit. On many islands lamb is stuffed with rice and herbs and baked in the oven. The lamb of the Easter Sunday is symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus. There is a festive atmosphere everywhere; people eat lamb, kokoretsi, kontosouvli (pieces of meat on the spit). They drink wine or ouzo (the national aperitif) and dance until late at night.
Easter celebrations are exciting all over Greece. Many places celebrate Easter in their own way, as apart from the above mentioned rituals they have their local customs.
In Thrace and Macedonia young women in traditional clothes, called the "Lazarins", go around the villages singing Easter songs.
CHRISTMAS IN GREECE
Christmas (Christougenna), is one of the most joyful celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Christmas season in Greece begins on December 6th, which is Saint Nicolas day and ends on January 6th, which is the Feast of the Epiphany (Theophania). During this period most greek towns are decorated with bright lights, bells, angels and the municipal authorities organize music concerts, theatrical performances and other cultural events.
There are many customs associated with the Christmas holidays, some of which are imported from other countries (like eating turkey on Christmas day and decorating the christmas tree). In the past, Greeks were decorating small Christmas boats in honor of St Nicolas, who is the protector of sailors. For this reason, you will often see boats decorated with sparkling lights in many Greek cities and especially in villages.
Today almost every home has a Christmas tree, a real one or an artificial one. Usually they decorate them few days before Christmas and they keep them in the homes until Epiphany.
Although the Christmas tree is assumed to be foreign custom, in reality it has Greek roots, as in antiquity they used to decorate green branches to welcome the New Year.
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| The church of Saint Marina decorated with palm branches |
During the Holly Week the churches hold services every day. People fast and don't eat meat, fish or dairy products until midnight on Easter Saturday.
On Holy Thursday the faithful go to church to bow before Christ on the Cross. Housewives prepare the Tsourekia (traditional Easter bread resembling brioche), the Koulourakia (cookies) and color eggs with special red dyes, a custom that symbolizes the blood of Christ and also the rebirth of life and nature.
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| Tsoureki (Traditional sweet) , Greek Easter |
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| Tsourekia, Greek Easter |
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| koulourakia (cookies) Greek Easter |
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| koulourakia (after baking) |
Holy Friday -or Good 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. The icon of Christ is taken off the cross, wrapped in linen and put in the Epitaph. The church bells are ringing all day in a slow mournful tone, even flags are hug at half-mast . In the evening is the holy ceremony of the burial of Christ. The procession of the Epitaph takes place at 9 p.m. for all the churches. The Epitaph is carried on the shoulders of the faithful in a procession through the streets of each community. In front of the procession is the wooden cross of Christ , then follow the altar boys carrying the lanterns and church banners , the cantors, the clergy and women bearing myrrh. Further back four or more men carrying on their shoulders the Epitaph. People follow the procession holding their dark-colored candles.
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| The Epitaph, Holy Friday in Greece |
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| The procession of the Epitaph |
On Holy Saturday at the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarch enters the Holy Sepulcher alone to pray . There he receives the Holy Light in a miraculous way. The Holy Light is transferred by plane from Jerusalem to the Athens Airport and from there it is taken all over Greece. Meanwhile preparations start for the festive dinner of the night of the Resurrection and housewives cook the traditional maghiritsa soup, which will be eatten after the midnights service. In the evening takes place the Resurrection mess. People are gathering in the churches at 11 p.m. holding white candles. Children carry special candles made for Easter that are called lambades and are given as gifts to them from their God-parents. The lambades exist in a big variety of colors and designs and many times they are sold together with a toy. Shortly before midnight all lights in the church are turned off , then the priest is coming out of the church holding the candle which is lighted with the Holy Light . At midnight he announces the resurrection of Christ . People tell each other Christos Anesti! (Christ is risen!) and Alithos Anesti! (He is truly risen!) and exchange wishes. The church bells ring joyously and fireworks are let off. People, carefully, take home their lighted candles . Before entering their houses they use the smoke of their candle to make a cross on top of the door for protection .Then they light the oil candle before their icon-stand. They gather around the table for a traditional meal which includes the mageiritsa (a soup made of the lamb's internal organs: liver, heart, lungs and intestines with an egg-lemon sauce), tsourekia (sweet bread), koulourakia (cookies). During the dinner red eggs are cracked. Every member of the family choose an egg and try to crack the eggs of the others . At the end, only one egg remains uncracked and the owner will have good luck. It's a game that children and adults are enjoying. The breaking of the eggs symbolizes Christ breaking the Tomb and defeating Death.
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| Traditional red -coloured eggs , Greek Easter |
Easter celebrations are exciting all over Greece. Many places celebrate Easter in their own way, as apart from the above mentioned rituals they have their local customs.
On the island of Corfu on Holy Saturday at 9 a.m. starts the procession of Saint Spiridon's relic, who is the saint protector of the island . This procession , is in memory of the miracle St Spiridon performed to save the town from starvation. At 11 a.m. takes place the famous "Pot Throwing" custom. Locals throw pots out of their windows, smashing them onto the streets , a metaphor for throwing away the evil! Believers and spectators come from all round the world to take part to the parades and processions of Corfu.
On the island of Patmos ,the Island where the Apocalypse of St John has been written , on Holy Thursday morning takes place the ceremony of the "Washing of the Disciples' Feet". It is a representation of Jesus washing the feet of his twelve Apostles. At the Monastery of St. John on Holy Friday takes place the ceremony of the Descent from the Cross , while the "Liturgy of Love" is held on Easter Sunday at 3 in the afternoon.
On the island of Chios the night of the Holy Saturday after the mess starts the famous rocket war at the village Vrontados between two rival parishes. Thousands of home-made rockets are thrown and offer a magnificent spectacle. This custom dates back to the age of the Turkish occupation (15th-19th centuries)
On the island of Crete on Good Friday night the Epitaph processions from four different churches meet at the central square of Heraklion. The Resurrection is quite spectacular at Hersonissos, where big fires are lighted on the beach. At the port of Agios Nikolaos, at midnight hundreds of fireworks explode in the sky and Juda's effigy is burned.
On the island of Kythnos, on the evening of Holy Saturday, those who have relatives that have recently died, are bringing roast meat, wine and bread to the church to be blessed by the priest and then they distribute them. On Easter Sunday the traditional custom of Kounies (swing) takes place. Boys and girls wearing traditional costumes take a swing in the town's main square .
On the island of Mykonos women whitewash the houses and bake "lazarakia" (doll-shaped cookies). On Easter Sunday locals burn Juda's effigy while series of spits are set in order to roast the lamb.
On the island of Paros, during the procession of the Epitaph there ar children dressed as Roman soldiers or disciples of Christ and react scenes from the entry into Jerusalem, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.
On the island of Santorini locals go around making sound by hitting metallic items in order to cast away the evil.
On the island of Sifnos, on Holy Thursday, the housewives bake the traditional "Easter birds" (sweet bread in the shape of birds). On Easter Sunday at the central square of Apollonia, takes place the burning of Juda's effigy.
On the island of Syros the communities of Catholics and Orthodox celebrate Easter together. The end destination of all Epitaphs is the central square. On Holy Saturday morning in the orthodox church of Resurrection faithful hit the pews of the church with all their strength.
On the island of Tinos, all the churches in Chora, assemble the Epitaphs at the harbor. The Epitaph of the church of Saint Nikolaos goes into the sea. On Easter Monday revives the traditional custom "Table of Love", a celebration with traditional food.
At Leonidio in Peloponnese the night of the Resurrection the sky is filled with hot-air balloons released by the faithful of each parish. This spectacular custom of the balloons is more than one century old.
At Kalamata the famous Saitopolemos takes place on Easter. Men wearing traditional costumes carry the Saitas (a type of handmade firework) and detonate them while they are in their hands. This custom dates back to the revolution fights of 1821, when the people of Kalamata used the Saitas (that make a lot of noise) to scare the horses of the Turks and win the battle this way.
At the mountain village of Arachova the icon of the local protector, St. Georges, is carried the second day after Easter Sunday throughout the village and a three day fest is organized to honor the saint. Locals dance wearing traditional costumes and participate in an uphill race. The winning prize is a living lamb.
In Thrace and Macedonia young women in traditional clothes, called the "Lazarins", go around the villages singing Easter songs.
In Thrace and Macedonia young women in traditional clothes, called the "Lazarins", go around the villages singing Easter songs.
CHRISTMAS IN GREECE
Christmas (Christougenna), is one of the most joyful celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Christmas season in Greece begins on December 6th, which is Saint Nicolas day and ends on January 6th, which is the Feast of the Epiphany (Theophania). During this period most greek towns are decorated with bright lights, bells, angels and the municipal authorities organize music concerts, theatrical performances and other cultural events.
There are many customs associated with the Christmas holidays, some of which are imported from other countries (like eating turkey on Christmas day and decorating the christmas tree). In the past, Greeks were decorating small Christmas boats in honor of St Nicolas, who is the protector of sailors. For this reason, you will often see boats decorated with sparkling lights in many Greek cities and especially in villages.
Today almost every home has a Christmas tree, a real one or an artificial one. Usually they decorate them few days before Christmas and they keep them in the homes until Epiphany.
Although the Christmas tree is assumed to be foreign custom, in reality it has Greek roots, as in antiquity they used to decorate green branches to welcome the New Year.
A very old custom is the Greek Christmas carols, which is called “Kalanda” in Greek. Children are going from house to house in groups of two or more singing the carols, accompanied by the sounds of the triangle or guitars, accordions or harmonicas. Years ago the homeowners offered the children sweets but today they usually give them some money. There are actually three caroling days. The carols are sung in the mornings of Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and January 5, the Eve of the Epiphany and they are different for each holiday.
There is a fasting period which starts 40 days before Christmas. The faithful would not eat any meat or any animal products, as dairy or eggs. Few days before Christmas housewives prepare the traditional Christmas cookies “melomakarona” (honey cookies) and “ kourabiedes” (sugar cookies with almonds). For the Christmas Eve they bake the “Christopsomo” a special slightly sweet bread. Traditionally, the main course of Christmas dinner is roasted pork or lamb, spinach or cheese pies and various salads and vegetables but in the last years, Christmas turkey has become very popular as the main dish.
During Christmas vacation many Greeks choose to travel to picturesque villages, especially those located on the beautiful mountainsides. They are the ideal places to spend a white Christmas! They visit also the most popular snow centers as Parnassos near the town of Arachova, Pertouli and Pilio in the region of Thessaly, Tymfristos at Karpenissi, Helmos in the town of Kalavrita, Mainalon at Vytina, Peloponnese, Vasilitsa at Grevena and Kaimaktsalan at Edessa.  |
| Melomakarona, Greek Christmas cookies |
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| Kourambiedes, Greek Christmas cookies |
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| Christopsomo, Greek Christmas bread |
EPIPHANY
Epiphany or Theophania or Phota is the last but very important of Christmas holidays for the Orthodox Church. According to Klemes of Alexandria , it started from the 2nd c.AD from the Gnostics Christians of Egypt. They choosed the 6 th of January in order to replace the idolatrous celebrations as it was an ancient Greek holiday in Apollo's honor.
The Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Christ in the river Jordan from John the Baptist. According to the etymological interpretation "Theophania" means the appearance of the Saint Trinity for the first and last time. The other name "Phota" means light and it is symbolizing the light that the baptized accepts during the baptism.
In Greece, Epiphany's Eve, children visit the houses singing the carols of this day. The mistress makes them welcome giving them some money or treating them goodies. The priests visit the houses and with a basil branch they sprinkle them with Holy Water.
On the Epiphany's day in the churches they prepare the Great Holy Water. Faithful take into small bottles the holy water and they bring it at their homes. All members of the family drink some of it to be blessed.
Young men dive into cold lakes, rivers or the sea in order to get the cross which has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water. Whoever gets the cross first is meant to have good luck during the year.
For the W.Macedonians Epiphany is the most important holiday of the year. They wear new clothes and news shoes.
In Thessaly, Kastoria, Drama, Karditsa, they celebrate the "Ragostaria". People disguise themselves, they use masks, black coats, they ring bells, they scream and they dance in order to terrify and send away the "Kallikantzari"(=Goblins), the ugly and troublesome little creatures that live inside the earth and come to surface during the 12 day period from Christmas until Epiphany, when all waters are blessed.
On the island of Lefkas they throw into the sea the old oranges and they baptize a fresh one that they keep next to the icons.
On the island of Mitilini they take the blessed Holy Water from the sea in a pumpkin and they wash their holy icons. During this ceremony they are not allowed to talk.
The farmers sprinkle their farms and their animals with the Holly Water and they wash their farming tools in the seawater in order to be blessed. They also wash the holy icons. This reminds us the Athenians that in ancient times every year they washed the statue of Goddess Athena at Faliron's seawater. This was a great holiday called "Plintiria"
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