Just seven Mondays before Easter arrives, the Greeks celebrate the beginning of fasting season. It is the Great Lent that approaches and this is definitely a reason to be jolly. Clean Monday is one of the Greek national holidays. Since it marks a period of purification, everyone feels the need to go out and enjoy …
Each day during Holy Week has a special meaning, and understanding what each day represents can help making attending all those church services a lot more meaningful! It is really worthwhile to go to the church and watch the services being able to feel the unique spiritual atmosphere Greek Orthodox Church offers. Here is an …
The religious significance of lamb began in the Old Testament, particularly in Genesis, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham obediently obeyed God and made his preparations for his sacrifice. When Isaac saw what his father was doing he asked, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the …
The celebration of Easter in Patmos is certainly a unique life experience. Mainly because of the Holy Monastery of Saint John the theologian in Chora (a UNESCO world heritage site), which is a reference point for the whole Greece and Orthodox Christianity. The island is often called the «Jerusalem of the Mediterranean», due to the …
A typical Greek Easter food, so delicious though, is eaten throughout the whole year. Try to taste it for breakfast or accompany your evening coffee/tea. Also try to alternate the recipe by adding chocolate or fruits. Easy to make it, delicious to taste it! Try the recipe by the Greek Chef Akis Petretzikis! [embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez2wp4eEIDY[/embedyt]
At least 95 percent of all Greeks claim membership in the Greek Orthodox Church, part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as the official state of Greece dictates. Until 1054, the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches were one body. Theological, political, and cultural differences split the church in two, and those differences were never completely …
Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Orthodox Church marking the resurrection of Christ and the chance of rebirth for mankind. Falling always on a different date, Easter signals the end of the cold days of winter and the beginning of the sunny and warm days of summer. Easter celebrations hold also a …
The “burning of Judas” is a unique tradition which revives in areas of Greece every Easter, attracting crowds of people who want to admire the “punishment” of the avarice traitor. Nowadays, this tradition can express a strong need for shaking off any kind of betrayal. The “Judas Iscariot” who betrayed Jesus for “thirty pieces of …
Walking through fields of white earth and old small houses, one reaches the traditional village, where the “Epitafios walk” is covered in true spiritual ambiance. The road is decorated with tined lamps forming a river of fire that trembles accompanied by chanting and the smell of spring flowers. At the monastery of Prophet Elias, at the …