How are Greek Easter rituals and traditions reported abroad?
Rick Steve shares his experience.
In your opinion, what are the most impressive qualities of the Greek Easter reported here? Click on the picture and leave your comments.
29 thoughts on “EASTER IN GREECE”
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The most impressive qualities of the Greek Easter in Rick Steve΄s video is:
When the priest takes the Cross out of the Iconostasis and circulate among the faithful .
The next one is :
Late Big Saturday the sense of expectation of Resurrection and all the fireworks light the sky.
I really liked the video.I didin’t saw anyhing strange because since that our colture its normal.The thing I learnt in that video was that easter North christians use diffrent callender than Western christians.What i liked the most was the celebration and the firework part.
From Zoek.
I saw the video and it was very interesting for me. I really liked the part where I saw the Epitaph
up close and some people went below the Epitaph. I learnt about the Easter traditions in other places in Greece. I also saw something strange. The part where I saw people making crosses
with their candles in their houses.
I believe that the video I saw is good and it said for the greek Easter traditions.I like it.
I would like it more if it says for the big week and for the Easter Sunday.
I am from Greece so I know the greek Easter traditions , but if you are from another country this video help you learn about the Easter in Greece.
I think that and you enjoy it!!!
The video that I saw was very interesting because I learnt new things about the Easter traditions in Greece. The part that I liked best was, when Rick Steve told us some things about the Good Friday. I didn’t saw something strange in the video and liked it very very much.
Easter is celebrated with a distinct style and it’s the most celebrated holiday for Christians of the year. In addition, Orthodox Christians belive standing empowers prayers, and incense helps involve all the senses.The priest typically has a long beard, the sing of wisdom, experience, and respect.
In my opinion, the most impressive qualitie of the Greek Easter, is when Crist is removed from the cross and his body is then carried behind the iconostasis.I learnt a lot from that video and I didn’t see something strange.
The Easter celebration starts from big Thursday night when all the people guther in the church to kiss the feets of crossified Jesus. Then we continue by decorating the epitafius. The next day the people go and kiss the Jesus inside the epitafius and some kids can go under it. At night people follow the epitafius through the town. On Saturday noon there is the first Resurrection and the priest throw dried flower petals. At last at midnight fireworks launched in the sky to celebrate the Resurrection. People light candles with the holy light and make competition who have the strongest egg. When they go home they make a cross with the flame and all together eat mageiritsa.
I like many things in Easter and I understand that people in Nafplio they have the same traditions with us . I like better when they decorate the epitagh. I also like the fireworks and the breaking of red eggs . I didn’t learn something new about Easter in Nafplio because we have the same traditions .
For me all easter activities are awesome but the thing that I like more is Easter Sunday. I like it because all the family gathers in one place and we have fun. Most of the time we gather to my village. We have lamb on a spit and we have fun. I didn’t know that the priest takes Jesus and recross him and I found it strange.
Vaggelis Skribas
The most impressive qualities are:the ”epitaph”, the symbolic tomb of Jesus and when Jesus defeated the devil.
From the video I learnt what Greek people do at Easter. Some people are going to church to pray with the candles in there hands. In the church there is an epitafios with Jesus on it. On Friday when night comes they are getting epitafios out of the church and they are getting at the town with the other two epitafios.Αt Saturday morning people are going to the church again for the resurrection of Jesus. At Saturday night they are people out of the church with the candles and they see the ftreworks. When the are going at the house, they have a competition, who has the strongest Easter egg. And all the family is together they are eating meat and they celebrate the Easter.
We decorate the epitaph with flowers. Then we carry the epitaph through the town.
On Easter Sunday’s morning we celebrate Easter. We have a competition to see who’s easter egg will be the strongest.
the exercise was good but at the second question there wasn’t a correct answer ,program tell them all wrong
the video was great,i like it ..I like best the time that the family eat at saturday night magiritsa and brake the eggs.I learn many things that I didn’t known before,like that the women adorn the epitaph.I like the video it is great.
Thank you Mrs Helen. I liked the video
The most impressive qualities of the video were :
When the priest goes behind the iconostati and then returns with the christ temple
when all the people gather together and waiting for the epitaph to be carried out off the church
And of course when the celebration and the party starts.
ZoeK.
The most impressive qualities of the video is:
On Saturday morning Greek Christians go to the church, to celebrate the First Resurrection. In this moment the cleric change his black vestments into hopeful white ones. Much happier now he tosses flowers to the faithful.
On Saturday midnight the people fill the churches and the squares and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. Fireworks light up the sky and is very beautiful!
The most impressive qualities in Rick Steve’ s video are:
The beautiful flowers that adorn the epitaph and the cross of Christ,the message the priest gives reminding why Jesus died and why there is reason for hope.
On Saturday morning when the priest changes his black vestments into hopeful white ones.Much happier now he tosses flowers to the faithful.
And my favorite part the amazing fireworks that light up the sky in Saturday midnight!!!
The most impressive qualities of the Greek Easter are: Easter in Greece is celebrated with a Distinct style.For the Greek Orthodox Christians is the most celebrated holiday of the year.Its very hopeful that people gather eventually packing in the church for hours, a day before Good Friday.All the people have a candle and pray together and waiting the Priest to bring the crucified Christ. The most beautiful for me is that around midnight as Good Friday arrives, women decorate the epitaph and then all the people can kiss the Christ and the children can go under the epitaph. In my opinion, I like better when all the families in Greece celebrate the Resurrection night with fireworks, a long table with Easter eggs and traditional lamb and soups. By:Marianna G.
The most impressive in Rick’s Steve’s video is:
That in Saturday all the Christians go to the church to celebrate the first Resurrection, when Papas says Christos Anaisti all the people say each other Christos Anaisti and kiss each other . After midnight they go to their house and celebrate with wine and magiritsa and brake boiled eggs, the one who’s egg isn’t broken wins. This night is a family night to be all together .
The most impressive qualities are: That all the people go the night of Holly Saturday to the church for the Resurrection of Christ, hold their candles and after midnight when the Resurrection become they crack the Easter eggs and the sky fills with fireworks!!! Is very beautiful that the members of all the families join Easter in a big table full with traditional foods. Marianna G.
The most impressive qualities for someone aboard in the video were:
The cross were Jesus was crucified and people were kissing his feet.
The humans that made a cross with their candles in their houses and have a dinner with their family.
The competition were humans try to break other people’s eggs without breaking theirs.
But the most impressive quality was the fireworks that light up for Easter Sunday.
For Greek Ordodox Christians Easter is the most celebrated holiday of the year.At Good Thursday priest brings the crucified Christ behind the icohostasis and late at night women decorate the epitaph . At the morning of Friday Christ is removed of the cross and his body is carried behind the iconostasis. On Good Friday evening the epitaph is carried though town.Holy Saturday is a celebration for Greece . Late Saturday night people expect the ressurection . At midnight fireworks light up the sky . People carry cross above the doorway as bless for their nome.People don’t forget that the stronger egg wins .
The most impressive qualities in Rick Steve’s video were:
When the priest brings the crucified Christ and after the priest carried Christ around the church, Christ is lovingle decked in flowers.
Also when the passionate congregation then crowds around to kiss Christ’s feet.
After that, women decorate what’s called the Epitaph or symbolic tomb of Christ while the choir chants.
The epitaph is carried by strong men around the church.
But the most impressive quality was the fireworks on Easter Sunday.
The most impressive qualities are: the epitaph adorned with flowers,on the Saturday night when we went to the church to watch the resurrection of Christ,on the Sunday we all Orthodox Christians celebrate together and eat together.Another most impressive qualitie is the chanching of eggs, from good Saturday onwards.
The most impressive qualities in Rick Steve’s video were:
1:The cross of Jesus and the people kiss his feet.
2: When the people go to the church on Good Saturday and the Papas sais christos anesti and all their do a competion of eggs.The stronger egg wins.
3.People after the curch go to our house and they have a dinner with their family.The most traditional food is magiritsa.People before come in their house they cross the door with one candle.
A!After the christos anesti that Papas sais they have fireworks
Easter in Greece is very beutiful.
MARY BAKOYTSI
In my opinion the most impressive Greek Easter qualiti is the cooking of the lamb because the hole family gathers in one place and have fun. Our dads ccook the lamb, we help them, the mums are prepering the sauses and salads. I love cause I like meeting my family!!!!!!
In my opinion the most important qualities in Rick Steve’s video are the rituals with the incenses that happen during the Holy Week. The crucifed Crist that it is being carried around the church by the priest.And the love for the Christ from the gathgered people.Furthermore the big table that brings all the
family toghether.At the end there is another common quality that is called Egg cracking.
This article tell us about how places-islands across Grecce celebrate Easter and what are the characteristics of their traditions.For exaple in Corfio,Cercyra it tell us about the ”Pot throwing” and the celebrtion after the Anastasi when they eat magiritsa lamb,red eggs, fogatsa (brioche), columbines (a special bread of Venetian origin, baked in the form of a dove) and lots of wine.Then about the Rocket War of Chios,what the actually do is the make a rocket the respective churches built on two hilltops about 400 meters away from each other. Direct hits on each belfry are supposedly counted on the next day to determine the winner, but each parish invariably claims victory over the other.Then we have Arachova St. George Fest. During the fest, some 500 locals wear traditional costumes and gather at the courtyard of the Holy Church of Saint George.Next is Kalamata and their Saitopolemos,people in Kalamataa group of men wearing traditional costumes carry the Saitas and detonate them while they are in their hands.Up next Metres,Thrace there, the children walk from door to door asking for sticks to build the wooden model of Judas.Then some people make a model of Judas and burn it.Last but not least we have Ierissos which is a little village in Chalkidiki,there one of their caracteristics of the easter tradition is their Easter dances, people gather all together and dance but in the end people dance to a unique song called “Kageleftos”which represents the slaughter of 400 locals by the Ottomans during the 1821 revolution. The local traditional “zografitikos” coffee boiling in a large cauldron, tsourekia and red eggs complement the day. The dance is repeated again in the afternoon in the central square of the village.
By ZoeK.