Today is Easter Sunday, which is the most significant day - for both religion and culture - in Greece! There is an excellent account of the reason why its date differs from that in Western Europe, and the various customs on
http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/greekeaster.html
As "born-again atheists" we have a spot of bother with the Orthodox Church, but can handle "quaint community customs" so went out on the evening of Good Friday to see the procession!
We couldn't get a straight answer as to when it might happen, so we sat at Coconuts near the Church and waited. After some bells we saw a good crowd of locals (women in black!) come down from the church and thought we must have missed it. At about this time Judith turned up. She nannies in Athens for grandchildren of John Humphreys (Radio 4) and used to live and work here. Chatting to her took us through to the point when suddeny two police officers in smart winter uniform turned up to ensure appropriate respect for the procession which then arrived!It must have gone out through the back exit, but was now ready to go up the main street to the church. The focus is the "epitaph" - the symbolic bier of Christ (as in this archive shot) - covered in petals - and a couple of hundred village people follow it on its journey round town. Plenty of chanting and incense..!
Women continue to wear black and the fasting continues until midnight on Saturday. At this point everyone goes to the Church again to await the arrival of the "holy fire". This really does involve the whole village - most in the street outside! We took down the little lantern found in the apartment so that we might have a chance of keeping a candle alight in the appalling cold and strong wind we have had for a couple of days! At the point when the priest knocks on the door and starts the fire thing there is a firework display from the fortezza, and "Judas" is burned on a bonfire as the bells ring out! Quite moving stuff - whatever you do or don't believe - and we received our fire from Stephanie - and got a wedding invitation from Katerina! The candle went out in the kafenion an hour later!
There is then a certain amount of "kafenion-life" including festive bread for those who have just broken their Lent fast and the infedils who have had a few already! As we went home we felt the first of the predicted rain.
We awoke to bad weather again!
Lamb is the thing everywhere on Easter Sunday. We marinated a modest leg that turned out to be exquisite, whilst families spit-roast a whole animal outside filling the air with a great smell; and Barry & Jenny serve lamb dishes for the waifs and strays. We had starters with them and saw the weather improve before returning to have our own roast.
Greek TV - which had done several days of biblical epics - delivers"Pirates of the Caribbean"- and all is well with the World!