Easter—The Greek Way

By Andrea Vlahakis

	St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Seattle, Washington.

We did everything in our house two ways—the American way and the Greek way.

I’m a first-generation American. I grew up in a big house filled with my extended, multi-generational Greek family. I was raised in both cultures, with both languages, foods, holidays, and kinds of music.

Easter was my favorite holiday because I had a chance to celebrate two different customs. On Holy Thursday I’d be at my grandmother’s side as we dyed Easter eggs deep crimson red—the Greek way. (Red symbolizes the blood of Christ. My grandmother called Holy Thursday Kokkinopempti, or Red Thursday.) And on Easter morning my grandfather would “surprise” me with a chocolate bunny—the American way.

The question I am always asked is: “Why isn’t Greek Easter on the same Sunday as Easter?” The calendar that you and I have on our kitchen wall is called a Gregorian calendar. But to figure out Easter (which is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox), the Orthodox Churches use the Old Style, or Julian, calendar. And the Julian is thirteen days behind the Gregorian. So sometimes Orthodox Easter is on the same day as non-Orthodox Easter, but usually it’s not.

If you visit my church on Holy Friday, you’ll see in front of the altar a wooden replica of a tomb, commonly called the epitaphion. The epitaphion is decorated with flowers. Ours is totally covered with red and white carnations.

The wooden replica of a tomb, the kouvouklion, is covered with flowers. The holy cloth placed inside is the epitaphion. Both are commonly called the epitaphion.

The afternoon service on Holy Friday is very important because it represents the day Christ died. But as a little girl I couldn’t wait for the evening church service because I could be part of it.

In Greece, and in some Greek Orthodox churches in the United States (such as the one I went to when I was little), the epitaphion is lifted onto the shoulders of four strong men and carried outside. The whole congregation gathers in the street behind the epitaphion. Then they follow in a slow procession around the block, holding lit candles and singing traditional mournful hymns. I remember that people would be outside on their porches as we went by. Every year they’d be there, very quiet, watching our Holy Friday tradition.

When the epitaphion comes back to the church, the men hold it high in front of the church door, and one by one, we walk under the epitaphion into the church. This is considered a blessing.

Finally, we blow out our candles to symbolize the death of Christ, and the priest hands each of us a carnation from the epitaphion to take home.

On Holy Saturday, just before midnight, all the lights in the church are put out to symbolize the darkness of the tomb.

At exactly midnight, the priest comes forward with a lit candle and lights the candle of someone in the front pew. That person then passes the light to the next person’s candle, who passes the light to the next person’s candle, and so on until light fills the whole church.

	Once Andrea’s grandfather gave her a stuffed Easter bunny.

Unlike on Holy Friday, everyone leaves the church with lit candles, which symbolize carrying the Easter blessings home, and says, “Christós Anésti” (Christ is risen). When I was young, I always held my father’s candle on that careful ride home.

Next comes the celebration—a huge Easter Sunday feast with music, dancing, and the traditional meal of lamb.

Why lamb? Because the early Jews sacrificed lambs for their Passover celebration and the early Christians adopted the symbol.

In Greece, very early on Easter morning, coal fires are started outside. A whole lamb will be roasted on a spit, rotisserie-style. The lamb is rubbed with oregano, olive oil, and lemon juice. Sprigs of oregano are tied together and dipped in the marinade to brush on the lamb as it slowly cooks.

The Easter I was ten, my father’s cousin roasted a whole lamb in his front yard. I remember cranking the handle to turn the lamb. And I remember the smell of the lamb and the lemon and the oregano. People say you can smell lamb roasting all over Greece on Easter morning. That Easter, I think our whole neighborhood smelled it, too!