From solemn church services to festive feasts, Greek Easter is a sensory experience that connects generations through time-honoured rituals.
It brings families and communities together in a vibrant display of faith and culture.
Easter in Greece is just as much about community as it is about faith.
During Holy Week, families dye eggs red. The Epitaphios, a flower-bedecked bier representing Christ’s coffin, is adorned with flowers and paraded through villages.
Cracking red eggs is called "tsougrisma," and the winner is said to enjoy good luck.
Crowds gather outside candlelit churches, clutching Easter candles (lambades). The scent of roasting lamb and citrus-infused tsoureki bread fills the streets.
Greek Easter is never complete without an extravagant feast. After weeks of Lenten fasting, the table overflows with flavours.
The centrepiece is souvla or kokoretsi, succulent lamb roasted on a spit, and magiritsa, a lemony soup with lettuce and lamb pluck, eaten after the midnight service, bridging fasting and feasting.
Sweet tsoureki, braided Easter bread, and koulourakia, butter cookies, fill homes with the aroma of vanilla and mastiha.
Nikos Kazantzakis, a famous Greek writer and author of Zorba the Greek, once said: "Greece is a living monument, and nowhere is this more evident than during Pascha. Here, the past is not just remembered; it is relived."
In an era of rapid change, Greek Easter remains a steadfast anchor of cultural identity. Whether in bustling cities or remote villages, the rituals endure, passed down through generations with reverence and pride.
As Greeks worldwide gather this Easter, they do not just honour tradition; they breathe life into it, ensuring that the spirit of Pascha continues to inspire for centuries to come.
Diaspora communities replicate these customs, a testament to their enduring power.
In an age of globalization, Pascha serves as both an anchor and a compass, guiding Greeks back to their roots.
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