“Dear Ambassador, let’s hope that next year we will be able to be there together,” Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias replied, whose origins are from Corfu.
Tag: Greek Easter
Koulourakia Paschalina are traditional Greek Easter biscuits, which are usually prepared a few days leading up to Pascha. They’re not too sweet and make an excellent biscuit to accompany your frappe, coffee,…
The Saturday before Palm Sunday is “Saturday of Lazarus” and on this day it is a tradition to make “Lazarakia” (literally meaning “Little Lazaruses”). These are traditionally small, sweet and mildly spiced bread,…
Margaret from Create Cook Share Growing up in Australia, my parents kept the Greek Easter traditions of fasting for 40 days. Even though it may sound like a long time, I never…
The Akathist Hymn is a profound, devotional poem or chant, which sings the praises of the Holy Mother and Ever-Virgin Mary (Theotokos). It is chanted in all Orthodox Churches throughout the world…
Today the Greek Orthodox Church remembers the miracle of Saint Theodore the Tyro and Kolyva (boiled wheat). On the two Saturdays before Lent and the first Saturday of Lent we celebrate Liturgies…
Today is Kathara Deftera, which means ‘Clean Monday’ and it is the first day of Greek Orthodox Easter Lent, which lasts forty days. Kathara Deftera is a public holiday in Greece, and…
Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) is the first day of Great Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church. Today also brings preceding Carnival celebrations to an end, inviting everyone to leave behind the ‘sinful’…
Today the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates Apokries, Meatfare Sunday, which is the last day of meat consumption until Pascha. The Sunday of the Last Judgment or Meatfare Sunday is the third Sunday using the Lenten Triodion, the…
Today is Psihosavato, a day in a series of Saturdays set aside in the liturgical Greek Orthodox Calendar for the remembrance of those who have died. These days occur on designated Saturdays before and during the seasons of Lent and Easter: the first two are observed on the two Saturdays before Lent begins, the third Saturday of Soulscoincides with the first Saturday of Lent, and the fourth Soul Saturday takes place on the Saturday before Pentecost, the close of the Easter season. Saturday holds special significance in the religious calendar as the day on which the crucified Jesus lay dead in the tomb before his resurrection. On each Soul Saturday a special service is held where prayers are offered in memory of those who have died and a list of the names of the dead is recited. Participants attending the services prepare kollyva, a dish made of sweetened, boiled wheat kernels, raisins, almonds, and pomegranate seeds that are traditionally associated with funerals and memorial services in Greece and Eastern Europe. In addition to attending religious services, participants often visit the graves of departed family members on Soul Saturdays, to clean and decorate the burial sites. Everyone – especially those with loved ones whose…
Zoodochos Pigi, Bright Friday, is the first Friday after Easter, when the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Life-Giving Spring, a title given to the Mother of God, and an actual miracle-working spring near…
Greek police have arrested a man suspected of firing his gun in the air during Easter celebrations and accidentally shooting in the head an eight-year-old girl who was playing outside her home…
For the 12th year in a row, the road outside the church of ‘Analipseos’ at Neos Kosmos, Athens, was transformed into what looked like a war zone, as locals celebrated the Resurrection…
Easter lunch is a wonderful excuse to celebrate the most important festivities of the Greek Orthodox faith, ideally together with family and friends. Some prefer outdoorsy dancing, feasting, and drinking around the…
Koulourakia are traditional Greek biscuits that can be eaten all year round, however, they are very popular during the Easter period. Here is a simple recipe for soft, fluffy and delicious Koulourakia,…
Tsoureki is a sweet Greek Easter bread, which has a three-strand braid to represent the Holy Trinity. It is traditionally made today, Holy Thursday (along with the dyeing of the Easter eggs) and eaten…
On the afternoon or evening of Great and Holy Wednesday, the Sacrament or Mystery of Holy Unction is conducted in Greek Orthodox parishes. The Sacrament of Holy Unction is offered for the…
Lentils are so nutritional as they contain a great source of protein, iron, fibre, magnesium and folate. Fakes (Greek lentil soup) is lent friendly, making it a fantastic dish for those who…
by Rita Wilson Once every few years, Greek Easter falls the same week as “American Easter,” as it was called when I was growing up. In order for “Greek Easter” to be…
The Feast of the Entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem On the Sunday before the Feast of Great and Holy Pascha and at the beginning of Holy Week, the Orthodox…