This year, Holy Week, the most important holiday in Greece, falls one week after the western schedule. It is the same week only approximately every four years.
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The Sophomore Slump Recommends
Movie: Under The Skin – Scarlett Johansson’s biggest break to being critically acclaimed. This movie is out of this world yet so human. I dare you not to get weirded out by this movie.
Recommendation Flashback:
Pan’s Labyrinth – This movie will never leave my top 3 movies of all time!
Here’s the Pale Man scene …
Music: 19 by Adele – Vocal prowess … bow.
Recommendation Flashback:
My Dark Twisted Fantasy – The frontrunner for the best album of the decade …
Here is Runaway …
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Good Monday is the start of heavy fasting.
Maundy Thursday is a long mass where they read the whole story of The Passion of the Christ. Some church do a reenactment.
Good Friday is the procession day where they carry an epitaph or casket and parade on the streets.
I went back to Agia Triada Monastery for this. Activities are different from other village. Agia Triada Monastery only circled in and around the church vicinity.
Easter Saturday is Anastasi, The Resurrection. It’s when the burning of the Holy Flame takes place. They make an effigy of Judas. But nowadays it’s someone they hate like politicians or enemy. And they make a bonfire at midnight.
Me and a group of co-workers went to Sternes for this.
People light their candles at midnight as well.
Easter Sunday is the end of fasting. So the Greeks celebrate it with feast, an Easter party, of roasted lamb, or goat. They make Easter biscuits, hot raki, and red painted eggs representing blood of Christ.
My landlord gave me a red egg and a bag of delicious biscuits.
They sure celebrate Easter with a bang!
Last Calls …
Categories: event, Greece, photography, Unique
The Sophomore Slump 
Your photos highlight some very impressive pageantry and revelry, Rommel. I can imagine it would be very special to be in Greece during Holy Week and Easter! Very special. 🙂
Lucky to be here even just for a year. That’s why I can’t let these kinds of Greek celebrations pass.
the bonfire event must have been epic. always a joy to see life through your lenses…:)
A bonfire and a firework display … sounds so like a general idea to combine, but I never seen it done and it was spectacular.
Wow they do celebrate Easter with a difference. Looks Amazing Rommel. Great photos. I am still recovering from watching that scene from Pan’s Labyrinth!!! 🙂
Ahihihi … but promise that if you do watch Pan’s Labryrinth … it is way sooooo much more than its “scary scenes”.
Wow! Such a lot of celebrating. Your fire photos are really great, Rommel. Thanks for all the details of how the Greeks the Greeks celebrate Easter. It’s certainly different to anything I’ve ever experienced. 🙂
There are similarities to how they do it in my birthplace, Philippines, but it sure it still very different everywhere else.
How lucky for you to witness such a spectacle!
Glad to be here, Gilly. I truly am thankful. And glad I woke up too. Hihi 😀
In this country, not a lot is said about the split between the Orthodox and the Roman churches in 1054. Yet, the Orthodox have their own history and tradition. Russian Orthodox owe much to the Greek tradition, and the Cyrillic alphabet was constructed by a monk, using Greek, Latin, and Hebrew letters. The West has never produced such a great religious novel as Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, which deals with the sensual, intellectual and spiritual aspects of man. The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor from the novel is still studied in philosophy and religious classes as well as literature classes.
Amazing how you are very knowledge about a lot of things. Thanks for your share, Robert. The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor sounds interesting.
What a special celebration in Greek! Wow, the bonfire is something else. Stunning photos, can’t imagine being there… Thank you, Rommel! 🙂
Something else …. you read my mind. That’s exactly what I kept on exclaiming to my coworkers while we were witnessing it. It was definitely something else. You see, great minds think alike. Ahihihi 😀
Oh no… The King has the great mind! I love, love the first one and also the one right below the big fire shot is special. Sloow SS?
Good photos.
Thanks for the comment and visit, roamingpursuits.
happy easter! fire looks like phoenix!
It’s weirdly amazing that we all get interested by watching fire from time to time. 😉
Pretty impressive celebration!
Sure does. And it’s impressive that these kinds of culture and tradition never dies. 🙂
The most impressive thing that even different culture invention did not ruin the national memory, culture, traditions, language.
What an exciting Easter celebration. I loved seeing another’s culture around the Easter pageantry when we lived in Mexico. Not quite as explosive as what it seems in Greece, but still moving and wonderful. I love that first image of yours Rommel.
Holy Week in Mexico …. I bet that’s explosive in some other way. 🙂
Yes it was, and also very moving with the Easter reenactment. Those selected to play a part take their roles seriously. The floggings were very real.
How wonderful! I would love to witness this Rommel. So whose effigy did they burn this year? 🙂
Politicians, I believe. A little … uhm … twisted to think about it, esp. in front of a church… kind of laughable … but oh well, that’s how they roll. Ahihihi 😀
Great feeling of being there Rommel from your pictures … I had to move swiftly back though from those flames … 😀 I wonder why they celebrate a week later every four years …
They do love their festivals on the continent it’s great being able to experience one like this .
Sooo you are visiting Greece these days or is it where you reside? 🙂
The photographs of Fire were mesmerizing and haunting to look at, The dancing fire, amazing to look at !
Hope you had a great EasterRommel, Loved the fireworks, I wanna see such massive fireworks, I find them so attractive and spectacular !! ^.^
P.S Adele?? One word: BEST. (love your choice of music 😉 )
Have a fantastic weekend. Much love,
Zee ❤
These look like our procession in the Philippines but without the bonfires.
Beautifully done Rommel, there is something incredible about Anastasi and all the processions around the world at this time of the year. Perfect and beautiful. The first photo you have was such a perfect introduction to all the magic that followed. The bonfire shows so much passion, but it were those great candle shots that showed this fiery passion in a very quiet manner. Stunning as always Rommel, and great to see you enjoying your new digs 🙂
Now that’s a proper Easter celebration, Rommel! None of your half hearted stuff! 🙂 🙂