Greek Orthodox Easter\u2019s liturgical cycle begins with the Great Lent (or \u201cSarakosti\u201d), a period defined by a 40-day fast and both physical and spiritual preparation for the Resurrection of the Lord. This preparation intensifies during Holy Week, when people attend church services, fast and get ready for the Easter feast.\u2028<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the Saturdays of the Souls \u2013 and particularly that of Saint Theodore, the first Saturday of Lent \u2013 define the living\u2019s relationship with the deceased. The final Saturday of the Souls after the Resurrection is Rousali (or Arsali), falling on Pentecost, which marks the \u201cbirthday\u201d of the Christian Church.\u2028This ongoing communication with the departed is shaped by springtime customs and Easter rituals associated with fertility and prosperity.<\/p>\n
\nFunerary rites are intertwined with fertility rituals that aim at the continuation of life<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
These traditions are rooted in ancient beliefs whereby the dead are the primary \u201cspirits\u201d of vegetation. As such, the earth\u2019s ability to bear fruit and the eternal rebirth of nature are seen as largely dependent upon them.\u2028The notion of periodicity \u2013 of death and rebirth in nature and time as a cycle \u2013 was prevalent in traditional societies, as many know. So, the folk calendar was aligned with the annual cycle of labor, primarily agricultural tasks, and the very essence of the \u201ccelebration\u201d is based on the contrast between festive, sacred time and the mundane everyday.\u2028<\/p>\n
In agrarian societies, numerous events have a magical, purifying, fertility-related and protective character, intended to ward off evil that threatens vegetation and production, but above all human health and life.\u2028Such magico-religious events centered death and resurrection, particularly during the carnival season (\u201capokries\u201d) or in the spring \u2013 such as the \u201cKalogeros\u201d in Thrace, the mock funeral of the Leidinos effigy in Aegina, the flower-adorned revelers of Pilio or the ritualistic dances performed at Easter and on the feast day of Saint George, the visits to gravesites by music ensembles, the common feasts and festivals, and sundry customs stretching back to pre-Christian times, are expressions of humanity\u2019s perpetual effort to influence the process of nature\u2019s regeneration and secure a good harvest, while at the same time serving as expressions of religious faith, honor and respect for ancestors \u2013 the dead \u2013 and Mother Nature.\u2028<\/p>\n
Funerary rites are intertwined with fertility rituals that aim at the continuation of life \u2013 an unending struggle and reflection on life and death. Humans die, while nature is endlessly, explosively, reborn, especially \u201cin spring, in May, in summer, when the branches blossom and the plains turn green\u2026\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n
Easter, also known as \u201cLambri\u201d (or Luminous), and its wealth of customs and rituals, is an intersection of Christian and ancient ritualistic practices and the quintessential symbol of life\u2019s triumph over death, the \u201cfeast of all feasts\u201d and the \u201cfestival of all festivals.\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n
In Greek culture, from the ancient myths of Adonis and Persephone, where death is defied or overturned, to Christ rising from the dead, from figures such as Zafeiris, Leidinos, Lazarus and the Mayopoulos, to other spring rituals, hope for life\u2019s victory over death is expressed and enacted through performances, dances and songs.\u2028<\/p>\n
From Lazarus Saturday until the Resurrection, Greece\u2019s folk culture unfolds a rich sequence of customs that blend Christian faith with symbols of spring. The journey from mourning to joy, from death to life, is expressed through rituals, songs, flavors and shared experiences that strike a deep emotional chord with the Greek people and uplift them. These days form a continuous ritual passage, leading from sorrow and the remembrance of death to the joy of the Resurrection and the rebirth of life.\u2028<\/p>\n
Lazarus Saturday is, in a way, the herald of Holy Week, customarily marked by a procession of young girls carrying small baskets adorned with flowers and singing carols about Lazarus\u2019 resurrection and the joys of spring. Housewives would reward the children with eggs that they would go on to paint red for Easter, and buns known as \u201clazarakis.\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n
On the following day, Palm Sunday, the Church recalls Christ\u2019s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. In Greece, the faithful receive palm branches from the church, usually woven with palm or laurel leaves. These branches are kept in the home throughout the year, often placed behind religious icons, as they are considered blessed and endowed with protective powers.\u2028<\/p>\n
As Palm Sunday gives way to Holy Week, the mood becomes somber and pensive on Holy Monday. Homes are thoroughly cleaned and tidied up, courtyards are whitewashed, and families make their final preparations for the great celebration. In traditional agrarian societies, cleaning the home was closely tied to the idea of renewal: The house, like nature itself, had to welcome spring and the Resurrection in a freshened state.\u2028<\/p>\n
One of the most characteristic customs of Holy Week is the preparation of the sourdough starter on Holy Wednesday. During the Sacrament of Holy Unction at church, both the people and the dough are blessed, often along with certain items such as flour, salt and eggs, so that they may acquire special power. Housewives \u201crefresh\u201d the starter, preparing the new blessed dough that will be used throughout the year for baking bread. In Crete, a similar custom is observed on Good Friday.\u2028<\/p>\n
Holy Thursday is a very important day. The Easter eggs are dyed during the morning, typically red to symbolize the blood of Christ, but also life and fertility more broadly. The Easter breads, cakes and biscuits are also prepared on the same day in many parts of the country, with the tsoureki (sweet braided breads) or koulouria (cookies) being decorated with red eggs and intricate dough designs. In the evening of Holy Thursday, people go to church for the Service of the Twelve Gospels. Fires are lit outdoors at the same time, which children jump over, sometimes burning their \u201cMarch\u201d charms. Elsewhere, on the same day, people gather wood for their fire at home. Similar customs in other regions are intended to drive away fleas, bedbugs, and other harmful or bothersome insects.\u2028<\/p>\n
The women spend the night of Holy Thursday in the church, keeping vigil beside the Crucified Christ. Throughout the night, they decorate the Epitaphios funerary bier with seasonal flowers and sing the \u201cLament of the Virgin,\u201d a well-known folk song which, in some places, is also sung by children as they go from house to house for small offerings, much like carols.\u2028It is important to note that women are most closely associated with \u2013 and carry out \u2013 the majority of the rituals during this period. As bearers of new life, they are traditionally entrusted with mediating the passage to the other world. The grief of a mother mourning the loss of her only son is conveyed with profound intensity in everyday life, while also finding powerful expression in literature and the arts.\u2028<\/p>\n
Good Friday is a day of mourning; the most formal day of Holy Week. Women and girls bring flowers to the church, where the Epitaphios is lavishly decorated. They do not work, cook or sweep when assuming this responsibility and they observe a strict fast. Even Greeks who are not regular churchgoers will attend on Good Friday, follow the funerary procession or visit the gravesite of loved ones. The service and procession of the Epitaphios are the main events of Good Friday. The faithful follow the procession holding candles, while church bells toll mournfully.<\/p>\n
The candles from the Epitaphios were traditionally kept at the home icon stand. In times of rain, lightning, or hail, people would light these candles, believing they could calm the storm. Sailors, in particular, would take them on their journeys as protection against tempests. The flowers on the bier are also considered blessed and many worshippers take a few home to place in their icon stand, where they can ward off evil and cure illness. In some parts of the country, ritual bonfires are lit during the procession of the Epitaphios.\u2028<\/p>\n
In Serres, as well as in other regions, women place an icon of the Crucified Christ at the threshold of their homes during the procession of the Epitaphios, and adorn it with flowers, candles, and incense. They set a plate beside the icon, where lentils or barley had been planted a few days earlier and have since sprouted into fresh greenery.<\/p>\n
It is a custom that harks back to the ancient \u201cgardens of Adonis.\u201d Adonis, a symbol of spring that quickly withers, was honored through the display of an effigy laid on a funerary bier decorated with flowers and greenery.\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n\n
Evangelos Karamanes is a folklorist and ethnologist, and research director at the Athens Academy\u2019s Hellenic Folklore Research Center. This story first appeared in Kathimerini\u2019s food supplement, Gastronomos.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n