“Easter is the time to rejoice and be thankful for the gift of life, love and joy.” This holiday is truly one of the most important ones for all Christians around the world. It tends to put light and hope into each home and this is what turns it into such a magical time!
The Great Lent is almost over, we hope you all feel cleansed and more blessed than before! Today is Good Friday, a.k.a. Holy Friday, which is considered a very special moment of the Holy week. And here we are, just three days before Easter Sunday comes. Greek Orthodox Easter is on 2nd May this year and we are more than happy to share with you some facts about the Resurrection. Keep reading!
- According to the Christian traditions people have to celebrate Easter for three days in a row. On Saturday evening, a day before Easter, everyone goes to the church. There is normally an official liturgy and people carry lighting candles while going around the church.
- On the very day of Easter, people greet themselves with the words “Christos Anesti”, which from Greek means “Christ is Risen”. And what would a holiday be without its typical symbols? The most recognized Easter signs are, of course, eggs, Easter cake and lamb. But you know this from one of our previous blog posts already!
- In the past, people used to associate eggs with the Universe. In fact, it was back in 4th century when eating them was prohibited during fasting. However, the fact that chickens laid eggs the most during spring made people think of ways to start using them. So, this is how they tried boiling the eggs so that they can last longer. You know the rest of the story, right?
- Here’s something more about the popular Easter eggs that you might not know! It turns out that the number of eggs is to be defined by the members of the family. How many are you going to boil?
- What’s more, the red eggs have a special symbolics. It’s said that if you have guests on Easter, you need to give them a red egg as a gift. Why? Well, there’s a belief that this way wealth will never leave your home.
- Another interesting thing about the holiday is that it’s the very first day on which newly-weds tend to visit their first witnesses. It’s not gonna be with empty hands, of course! They have to bring the famous Easter egg, lots of sweets and red eggs in a basket.
- Do you know what Greeks do on Easter morning? First thing they do is the traditional throwing of pottery from the balconies. How crazy does that sound, right?! However, this tradition is actually quite old as it dates back from Ancient times. People also throw away their old clay planting pots. From one side, this is a symbol of the upcoming spring, while on the other side, it symbolizes getting free from all the problems.
