Good Friday The Resurrection Easter Sunday 1 2
Greek Easter fell late this year, approximately one month after the western Easter. This meant that we already had visitors roaming around the streets, all wanting a cafe bar or restaurant to be open. Typically on Easter Sunday, very little is open, but this year many made the effort to open up their businesses to accommodate the visitors to the island. There was a little more stress and quite a few hot brows as the spit roast turned. Very hot weather to begin with and then a cool change with some dirty rain in the afternoon. Quite a strange Easter. At Easter time we wouldn't expect to see people swimming as we make our way from one house to another, but this year, there were people at most of the beaches. Locals too, were talking about a swim after lunch. Some lucky visitors had the pleasure of being invited for Easter lunch, giving them a unique look inside the Greek culture.
Easter Sunday means food, food, food and more food. The Lent fasting is broken and there is alot of salivating going on, waiting for the lamb on the spit roast to end up on the lunch table. Some still celebrate the traditional Easter while others have modernized it a little. One thing remains the same, the lamb on the spit. The men get up early to prepare and light the coals, and then hover around it, basting it, tending it, until it's ready. Once ready, it's hacked and cut and sliced and pulled off the bone.
Ventouras (Mavors) and Karantzis clan between Raxi and Kioni bay.
The Spiro, Aleko and Claudio clan. Unfortunately don't know everyone's name.
Paizi, Katopodi, Koutsouveli, Vlassopoulo, Moraiti and Karantzis families with invited guests.
Some can't wait for the lamb to be ready, there's always alot of picking and pulling going on as people wait impatiently for the meat to be cooked through. Easter is a time for the whole family to get together and celebrate. Greek Easter is more about that than chocolate eggs.