Greek Easter Festival

If you can only experience one Greek festival, let it be Easter (Pascha). It is THE festival of the Greeks — far more important than Christmas — and an experience that gets under your skin.

The orthodox Easter often falls on different dates than the western ones (the Julian calendar is used for the calculation). In some years they coincide, in others they are up to five weeks apart.

Holy Week (Megali Evdomada)

• Great Thursday: Everywhere, Tsoureki (Easter bread) is baked and eggs are dyed red. The red egg symbolizes the blood of Christ and the resurrection.
• Great Friday (Megali Paraskevi): The most important day of mourning. In the evening, the Epitaphios — the decorated bier of Christ — is carried through the streets in a solemn procession. Entire towns and villages are on their feet, brass bands play mourning music, flowers rain from balconies. In Corfu, clay pots are thrown from windows (Botides) — a deafening, joyful custom.
• Great Saturday Night: At midnight, the whole country — really the whole country — gathers in front of the churches. At exactly 12, the priest calls out "Christos Anesti!" (Christ is risen!), the church is illuminated, fireworks go off, and everyone passes the holy light from candle to candle. The response: "Alithos Anesti!" (He is truly risen!). This is followed by the traditional Magiritsa (Easter soup made from lamb offal) at 1 a.m.
• Easter Sunday: The great feast! All over the country, lamb skewers (Ovelias) turn over open fires. Families gather, eat for hours, dance, and play the egg-tapping game (Tsougrisma) — whoever's egg doesn't break is lucky.