Easter is without a doubt the biggest religious and cultural celebration in Greece and it’s the most significant period in the Greek Orthodox tradition. During the ‘Holy Week’ which is considered a national holiday in Greece, many traditions and customs take place to mourn the death of Jesus Christ and eventually celebrate his resurrection. It is not celebrated on the same dates that it is in other parts of Europe as it follows the Gregorian calendar. This period is a great chance for families to get together and for Greeks to socialise, eat and be happy. The Easter traditions in Greece are numerous and most of them are related to church services and food. This is the time when Greek Orthodoxs visit churches and monasteries to join the daily liturgies as part of the general Eastern celebrations. During that week, most devotees follow Lent, a special diet in which some foods like meat are not allowed. In this article we give you an insight of what Easter is like in Greece by presenting you the most popular and important traditions that are followed by religious and non-religious Greeks alike as they are an inextricable part of Greek culture.
Written by Savina Skourmalla 13-04-2023
- Greek Easter Traditions – Church
Throughout the Holy Week, the Greek Orthodox churches hold evening holy masses every day of the week, with hymns and psalms, with different dedications and customs each day.
There is a very close connection between life outside and inside of the church during this week for most believers. The peak of these masses take place during Holy Friday and Holy Saturday, when the vast majority of people attend and the celebrations as well as Greek easter traditions climax.
Holy Friday is a day of mourning the death of Jesus and the general atmosphere is sombre. The church bells ring mournfully throughout the day and flags fly half mast. During the morning mass, the priest takes down the ‘body of Christ’, a wooden 3D model of crucified Jesus and covers it with a white sheet to place it in the Bier. This action symbolises the Deposition of Christ and the Bier epitomises the tomb.
The evening mass of Holy Friday the procession of the ‘Epitafios’ is carried out, one of the biggest Greek easter traditions. The Epitafios is a wooden construction, resembling a small house that is covered with cloth, flowers and other ornaments and it carries the icon of Christ, symbolising his tomb. Half of the ceremony takes place inside the church then the rest of the ceremony is carried outside of the church, which is a rare thing for a sacramental ritual. This Epitafios is then carried from the church around the town or village carried by four men and accompanied by young girls, the Myrrhofores, which roughly translates to ‘the girls who bring the holy oil’. The young girls hold baskets of flowers that they toss on the Epitafios. Behind the procession follow the priests and the believers who hold candles as an expression of commiseration. In some bigger areas, the different local churches arrive in the square, each with their own Epitafios and the prettiest one wins and its church receives the ‘highest blessing’.
In some areas like Tinos or Hydra, the Epitafios is carried out to the sea in order to bless the water and the sailors. The Epitafios
During Holy Saturday there are many church services throughout the day. Late on Saturday night and before midnight, people attend the church in formal outfits carrying their own Greek easter candles. The candles the children are carrying are a gift from their godmothers and godfathers and they are usually beautifully decorated. The church goes all gather outside the church waiting for the clock to reach midnight and mark the ‘Resurrection’ of Christ, the ‘Anastasi’. The priests come out earlier in order to hand over the ‘holy light’ to the believers who wait enthusiastically. The light has travelled from Jerusalem and it spreads among the crowd and it represents Christs’ eternal light. Exactly at midnight, the church bells ring happily and the priests chant hymns to celebrate the Resurrection accompanied by fireworks and firecrackers while people kiss each other on the cheek saying ‘Christos Anesti’ (Jesus has risen) to each other. Then, the families return home and mark a cross on the door to bless their house and a huge celebratory feast begins to complete the Greek easter traditions.
- Greek Easter Traditions – Food
- Tsoureki
Tsoureki is the delicious sweet Easter bread that is prepared on Holy Thursday. This brioche type of bread holds its own symbolic meaning as 3 pieces of dough, spiced with mahlep that represent the Holy Trinity are braided together and baked in the oven. The more modern versions include a chocolate filling. The tsoureki is usually adorned with a red hard boiled egg in the middle. Because of its difficulty level, most people prefer to buy ready-made tsoureki that are found in abundance in every bakery across the country.
- Red Dyed Eggs
On the same day of Holy Thursday, dying eggs red is another popular Greek easter tradition. According to this tradition, the eggs that symbolise renewal of life are hard boiled in red dye. The red colour symbolises the blood of Christ. Red is the most traditional colour but people tend to dye the eggs different colours as well and even decorate them with easter stickers which is a traditional Easter family activity for Greeks. The dyed eggs are then eaten during the supper that takes place post to the Resurrection of Christ on Holy Saturday.
- Lamp
Easter Sunday is a special day that is dedicated to family, feasting and celebrating with food, drinks and music. It marks the end of the 40-day orthodox fasting period and the whole family gathers together to roast the lamp. For smaller families, the lamp is cooked in the oven while for larger families, usually in villages or islands, lamps are traditionally roasted on a spit. The lamp represents Christ who is, according to the bible, the Holy Lamb of God. The menu is completed with other meat dishes, like ‘kokoretsi’ which is basically lamb or goat intestines wrapped around a seasoned offal. Families and friends spend all day together eating, drinking, listening and dancing to Greek folk music. The roasting of the lamp and the Easter Sunday lunch is one of the most important Greek Easter traditions as it brings the family closer together and it’s an opportunity for everyone to rejoice and have fun with their loved ones.
- Greek Easter Traditions – Other customs and fun facts
Easter is all about religion and family. Through different traditional customs and practices, Easter in Greece is all about family as much as it is about religion. It’s the time when everyone gets together and the families can spend precious moments with each other, especially for people who live away from home. It is very common for Greeks who live in central cities to visit their families in the villages or islands across the nation and spend the holidays with them. Going to the church and being part of the masses, preparing Easter goods and feasting on Easter Sunday are all done in unison with all the family members together and it’s always the best time for everyone to get closer to one another.
Athens is more beautiful and quiet during Easter as most residents whose families are away have already left to meet them. This is the perfect time for travellers to visit as the popular hotspots are less busy and the weather is mild and springy. It’s a great opportunity to explore the city and its beauties on a bike tour and get the best overview of the city, led by expert locals who will guide the team through all of Athens’ highlights and hidden gems.
Earlier we mentioned the tradition of dying eggs red and not being able to eat them until Holy Saturday. After midnight and when everyone has returned home from the church and are getting ready for their festive dinner, one of the most important and fun Greek easter traditions is the cracking of the eggs! There are simple rules in this game, everyone chooses their own egg, the one they believe to be the strongest and then the cracking begins! One by one the family members crack their egg on top of another and the egg that breaks is disqualified until there is one egg left, the strongest and winner! The person who cracks the egg says ‘Christos Anesti’ which means that Christ has risen and the other person receiving the cracking says ‘Alithos Anesti’ which means ‘indeed he has risen’. The winner is said to have good luck for the rest of the year and usually ,especially for little children, there is a small money prize too.
In some areas around Greece, there are some special Greek easter traditions that you don’t normally see in other areas of the country.
In Corfu, they have a fun custom called ‘Botides’ which takes place at the historical centre of the island on Holy Saturday, one hour before midnight. People gather on their balconies and then smash ceramic pots down on the street causing great laughter and joy. The tradition of breaking ceramic pots comes from Greek antiquity and its linked to banishing evil spirits and death. The custom was then adjusted to celebrate the resurrection of christ.
In another Greek island, Chios, a ‘war’ is taking place each year on Holy Saturday, involving two churches in the village ‘Vrontados’. Each church prepares their arson with homemade firework rockets and when the church bells ring at midnight indicating the resurrection, they start firing at each other creating beautiful light ribbons in the sky. The one who strikes the opposing church’s bell with their firework rocket first wins and this is the highlight of Greek easter traditions of the island.
