Easter on the island of Corfu is a particularly colourful and unique time, attracting visitors from all over Greece and abroad. Being in Spring, you get to enjoy pleasantly warm weather and see Kassiopi in full bloom. The beautiful spring flowers compete with the pristine clear waters… to see which is the most radiant!
Easter on the island of Corfu is a particularly colourful and unique time, attracting visitors from all over Greece and abroad. Being in Spring, you get to enjoy pleasantly warm weather and see Kassiopi in full bloom. The beautiful spring flowers compete with the pristine clear waters… to see which is the most radiant!
Easter is the perfect time to come to Corfu!
Welcome to a tradition that goes back to the roots of Christianity: The Greek Orthodox Easter. It’s by far the most important holiday of the year for Greeks. Like Christmas in the more northerly countries, and New Year in China, Greek Easter is a time for family reunions, religious observation and of course wonderful feasts. There are numerous curious and enjoyable traditions to explore.
Churches are decorated in purple ribbons, the priests wear purple vestments, and street lights and the cross atop the Old Fortress in Corfu town turn purple. Why is this? Purple is the colour of mourning in the Greek Orthodox Church, and it is because Christ died then. For the devout Greeks, Easter is a time of honouring Christ for being crucified in order “to save us from our sins”. Great appreciation is shown for his sacrifice, which is celebrated at evening mass throughout Holy Week. People spill out from the crowded churches, listening to the beautiful hymns, and wait for the wonderful Candle Lighting ceremony on the eve of Easter Sunday. All around, you see beautifully decorated candles to choose from, so you too can join in this wonderful tradition.
But why is it different from other Western Christian traditions?
This is because the Greek Orthodox Church follows the original Julian Roman Calendar for estimating the dates of Easter, never adopting the more recent Gregorian Calendar as did the other Christian Churches. The two Easters may thus coincide, or be as much as five weeks apart. (You are advised to check the exact date each year, and book your holidays accordingly.) On the island of Corfu, there are good relations between all Christian Faiths, who celebrate Easter together on the Greek Orthodox Easter dates.
Traditions
Palm Sunday is the first day of the Holy Week. It commemorates Jesus Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when the locals gave him an honorary welcome laying the customary palm branches on the street. On this day, the Greek Orthodox Church hands out palm fronds knotted in the shape of a cross that locals either take home or hang on their car mirror for a year.
In Corfu, on this day, we additionally celebrate the miracle of St Spyridon, the island’s Patron Saint, who saved the island from the deathly plague of 1630. It’s worth visiting the Old Town of Corfu in the morning, to see the largest procession of the year, including colourfully-dressed priests from all over the island, a dozen brass bands and school children in uniform, in which the millennia-old relics of the Saint are brought out for all to see. After the procession and up until lunchtime, the marching bands are encountered everywhere. It’s worth going early and finding a good seat at the Liston, (the row of cafeterias under the arches by the esplanade square,) to enjoy the ambience.
The next major celebration is on Holy Friday. In the morning, the Epitaph (a canopy representing Christ’s burial) is prepared with the villager/town women heavily decorating it with flowers from their gardens. In the evening, following the 7pm mass, at 9pm the Epitaph is carried on the shoulders of men in a procession around each town or village. The priests, dressed in their very ornate gold-threaded purple vestments lead the procession chanting solemn hymns. In Kassiopi they are accompanied by a brass band and a choir, and the locals follow holding a lit candle, which represents the light of Christ, while the onlookers cross themselves in reverence.
On the morning of Holy Saturday in Corfu, the Church bells ring loudly at 11am alerting street-walkers to take shelter under balconies and archways, as pots go flying out of windows; ideally filled with water to make a bigger bang, as they smash onto the ground. There is a blend of Christian and pagan traditions in this practice, intended to ward-off evil lingering in the house, and to start afresh, with the coming of Spring and the rebirth of nature, giving a new light. It is referred to as the First Resurrection. Holy Saturday in Corfu is combined with the celebration of yet another miracle of St Spyridon, saving the island from famine in 1553.
In the evening of Holy Saturday, mass is held at 11pm, giving time to the church congregation to proceed to Kassiopi Harbour, where amidst total darkness, at precisely midnight, the priest calls out “Christos Anesti!” (=Christ is risen.) With this, the holy light of the priest’s candle is gradually transmitted to the candles held by the villagers crowded around, while fire-works go off out at sea. Each person then turns to the other, to wish them “Christos Anesti”, to which one replies “Alithos Anesti!” (=He is truly risen.) At this point, the night is still young, as the villagers will now head home, making sure to blacken the cross above their front door with the holy light, and to break their fast with the traditional magiritsa (a tripe-like soup), hard-boiled red eggs (the shell symbolising Christ’s empty rock tomb and the colour red his blood) and tsoureki (traditional sweet bread).
The most symbolic event on Easter Sunday is cooking lamb on the spit, which you will see accompanied by much wine and merriment in most households. In the Greek Orthodox Church the lamb symbolises Jesus Christ as God’s sacrificial lamb and it is respectful to honour his memory by eating it. In the evening, you can attend the reading of the “Love Vespers” at the local church at 7pm, whereby the Gospel is read out in foreign languages.
Easter Monday is a national holiday and time to rest from all the emotional upheaval of this wonderful festival, a day to enjoy a stroll amidst the wonderful spring flowers perhaps, or a brave dip in the sparkling water, that has yet to reach its heavenly warmth. Most shops and services (including transport) are closed, to give everyone a well-deserved rest. Some restaurants and bars are open however, because in Greece, one must enjoy the food.
