A Greek Easter

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Celebrating Easter in Greece is like celebrating Christmas in the US. The festivities last days and many people return to their home town to celebrate. In fact, the Easter observances last four days, Thursday through Sunday. The days are full of ritual, ceremony and celebration. Since the primary church is the Orthodox Church there was nothing in these rituals that I had experienced previously so it was a fascinating adventure. I spent the four days of Easter on Hydra (pronounced ee-dra) one of the Greek islands in the Saronic Gulf just a few miles off the Peloponnese coast. Although I experienced the holy days in only this town, from talking with others, the traditions are similar all over Greece.

Thursday: The Crucifixion

I arrived on Hydra via a ferry on Thursday morning. There are three churches in Hydra Town and one more in another town on the island so on my exploratory walk I found one small church where I would go to observe the Easter celebrations.

About 8:45pm that evening I heard church bells so headed for “my” church. The church is shaped like an Orthodox cross or a plus sign (+). One enters at the end of one arm and the alter room is in the opposite arm. There is seating in the other two arms plus additional seating in the entry arm. There was one row of seats built into the walls and wooden chairs crowded together like riders on a subway at rush hour in the rest of the space. In general, women sit on the left and men sit on the right though I saw several women sitting with the men and boys will usually sit with their mother.

When I walked in, there were four men in the front of the church chanting the mass. It was actually a cross between singing and chanting. There was no instrumental accompaniment and no verse and chorus organization but they were singing words from a book. Over 90% of the time I spent in the church was spent in this manner. There was never a sermon or hymns or responsive readings. It was chanting interspersed with short periods of reading.

Also up front was the priest. He was dressed in gold colored beautifully embroidered robes and was mostly bald but had a neatly trimmed beard that framed his face. He spent most of the time in the alter room at the front of the church. Men and boys assisting him with the service came and went from the alter room but I never saw a woman enter.

Near the entrance of the church there was a stack of skinny candles just a little thicker than birthday candles but three times as long. As people entered, they would take one or two. There were two places in the middle of the main sanctuary with trays of sand and candelabras and people would go to one of the two, light their candles from one the candles already there then stand it in the sand or in the candelabra.

Outside around the town there were random explosions like very large firecrackers. They lasted late into the night. My host had warned me there would be fire crackers but I did not expect the to be so loud or so frequent.

In the front was a cross made of plywood but nicely painted and standing about 6 feet tall. Attached to the cross was a plywood representation of Christ, again beautifully painted. I arrived after it started and I stayed taking it all in for about 45 minutes then left. People were arriving and leaving all the time and by the time I left, there were fewer people in the church than when I arrived but the service was going strong. As I walked back it was shortly after 10 pm. I talked to my host at my hotel and he said the mass was nearing the half-way point. He told me that Jesus died at 10:15 so at that time they would ring the bells then celebrate the remainder of the mass. That means the entire mass is between four and five hours. No wonder people come and go as they please.

Friday: The Burial

During the day on Friday I hiked east along the north coast of the island then followed a small road into the interior of the island. The coast was beautiful with clear blue water and white buildings. The temperature was pleasantly cool. The road into the interior was a one lane road but since there are no cars on the island it made a very nice hiking trail. I gained about 600 feet in altitude and walked over the spine of the island to where I could see the other side. I passed several small farms where they were raising livestock or growing olives but nothing very big.

As I was walking up I noticed someone had left their coat on the ground and a canvas bag hanging from a fence. Shortly after I passed by I heard a bleat and when I turned around I saw a lamb sticking his head out of the canvas bag. I snapped a picture and thought “How cute, someone rescued the lamb and is keeping it safe.” But when I thought about it I realized it was more likely that somebody was planning on having lamb for Easter dinner.

About 8pm I headed to church. A bell had been chiming every ten seconds for at least three hours and probably longer. There were also other church bells ringing intermittently and small explosions about every 10 minutes. This is a noisy holiday.

When I arrived the mass was already in progress but most of the seats were empty. Today the cross was still there but the Jesus cutout was gone. In front of the cross was a bier about five feet long, three feet wide and three feet tall resting on a stand and it was beautifully decorated with candles and pink and white flowers. It contained a picture of Jesus and other icons and as people came in to the church they bent over and kissed the icons. Just like the night before, most of the service was chanting by the cantors and the priest. The people that were there were dressed like they were attending a funeral and that is what it was. Yesterday was the crucifixion and today was the funeral and the bier was used in lieu of a casket.

At first I just stood in the back but someone suggested I sit down so I found an empty seat. About 8:30pm people started arriving and soon it was standing room only. They would light the small candles, kiss the icons in the bier then sit down. Many people were also holding a large unlit candle. All this time, several men were taking turns chanting the mass. Periodically the priest would chant something or swing an incense burner and once he sprinkled the crowd with holy water.

About 9:30 they lit the candles on the cross and the bier then one man carried the cross, four carried the bier and four others carried banners and a procession headed towards the main square of the town with the congregation following. Those who had candles lit them to carry in the procession so on my way out I got a candle and followed the procession. It took about ten minutes to walk to the square and when we reached it there was already another bier from another church waiting and a few minutes later the third arrived. (As I mentioned earlier, the town is big enough to have three churches.) There was some more chanting then the biers headed back to their home churches.

Saturday: The Resurrection

I know you are thinking the Resurrection occurred on Sunday but according to Orthodox tradition, it occurred at midnight between Saturday and Sunday.

I spent the day hiking south to the monastery near the top of the island. There was a significant amount of “up” (I would guess 1000 feet) but I put my legs into low gear and headed up. Once at the top I briefly toured the monastery but took longer to enjoy the views.

When I returned it was about 2pm so lunch was on the agenda. As I walked inside my chosen restaurant there was a man about 10 years older than me sitting at a table eating and he gestured me to join him. He said he saw me looking at the menu and since we were both eating alone we could eat together. Eating solo is lonely and I would prefer a dinner companion but I was concerned that if I accepted his invitation he might presume more than just dining. I did hesitate but decided to take the chance and I am glad I did. His name was something like Danny and he is from Italy. He is vacationing with his wife and 13 year old son but they had gone hiking so he was on his own. He is a musician who travels all over the world playing Italian music. I told him about my family and then he asked me about Obama so I asked him about Berlusconi. It was an enjoyable conversation. While I was still eating, he needed to leave to meet his wife and son. With nothing more forward than a pat on my shoulder he said "Arrivaderci" and left. I enjoyed the companionship and am glad I took the risk.

When the bells started ringing at 11pm, I put my coat on, grabbed my candle and headed for church. When I arrived there were still many empty seats so I sat down. People were much happier at church than the last two days. Whether it was spiritual (because tonight was the resurrection) or social (family feast after church) I am uncertain. The church was decorated differently as well. The cross and the bier were gone and there were unlit candles and red ribbons along with flowers. Everyone held a candle and many of the candles were decorated in some fashion. The children especially had candles that were decorated with ribbons and small toys. As is customary, people would walk in and take one or more narrow tapers, light them and stand them in the holder then kiss the icon and find a place to sit or stand. There were a lot of talking to greet old friends and visiting relatives. All the while the service was being chanted by four men (always men though sometimes the women sing along).

The church quickly filled and soon people were standing in the courtyard. Outside the church the explosions continued as they had all day long but they seemed to be getting larger and more frequent. I actually felt the shockwave from several. At about 11:45 they turned off all the lights and everyone stood up while the chanting continued. After five minutes in the dark, the priest lit his candle and people surged forward to light their candle from his. Quickly the flame was passed from candle to candle and, led by the priest, everyone went into the courtyard. The cantors and the priest continued the chanting and the explosions continued nearby until midnight when the church bells started ringing joyously. Soon thereafter, the mass was winding down and people were headed home. The tradition is to have dinner right after Mass so everyone was looking forward to the midnight feast. Many people were carrying small lanterns so they could take the Easter flame home with them. The mass continued and I listened for about 30 minutes but my candle was dripping hot wax on me so I blew it out and headed to my hotel. On the way I could hear the sounds of families eating large holiday meals and unexpectedly, for a minute, fireworks filled the sky over the town.

Sunday: The Punishment of Judas

On Sunday my hike took me west. When I had walked east on Friday I passed many homes that are farms scratching a living from the soil. Going west I passed many rich holiday residences in walled compounds. Unfortunately this road also led to the island dump and, sooner than expected, I headed back to town. As I walked back the explosions grew louder. I am uncertain what, if any, symbolic purpose there is to all the explosions but they continued every few minutes all day long.

After a shower, I went to the Taverna next door and where they were roasting lamb, the traditional Easter dish. I am not usually a fan of lamb but this was quite tasty. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the sun. The explosions continued.

Shortly before 8pm I headed back down to the waterfront for the Punishment of Judas. There was an effigy of a man dressed in a bright red cloak and holding a cloth purse representing the 30 pieces of silver. It was hanging from a noose on an otherwise unused dock. In the background is the restored fort and men were throwing large explosions off the high wall into a closed off area. The explosions were every minute or so and many were big enough to produce shock waves through the air. I have never heard a hand grenade but I imagine many of these were the same size without the shrapnel. I watched the children and they were already inured to it, not acting scared but rather applauding as the explosions got bigger.

Soon men gathered on the dock near the Judas effigy. They took turns firing their guns to make noise for the building crowds. About 8:15 they threw gas on the effigy then lined up to shoot Judas one at a time. On the third shot Judas burst into flame. I don’t know what they were shooting but every blast made the fire burn bigger. There were almost 20 men and each fired at the effigy at least twice. Meanwhile the men in the fort were still making big explosions. It was a very loud event and the explosions continued, though less frequently, until past 10pm.

And so Easter ended with a bang. Next up I am going island hopping around some of the Greek islands. Stay tuned.

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Photos

South Side of Hydra
The Other Side of the Mountain

Easter Bier
I actually saw this Bier on Pyros on the Tuesday after Easter but it is very similar to the ones used on Hydra.

Cats
There were no stray dogs on Hydra but there were hundreds of stray cats.

Lunch Spot
The glass has Tsipouro, the local firewater.