Greek Orthodox Easter

I know that Easter is coming up early this year. We are Greek Orthodox and our Easter doesn't always coincide with the Roman catholic Easter. We celebrate the week of Passover and our clebrations are unique. Our Easter Celebrations start the same as everyone elses, with Palm Sunday Services. Most Catholics will attend Ash Wednesday services, we have almost the same thing, we go to Church on Holy Wednesday and instead of ashes we receive a blessing of virgin olive oil on our foreheads and the palms of our hands. On Holy Thrusday evening, our services include a representationof the crucifixtion and that is when the symbolic mourning begins.

The holiest day of the week is Good Friday. This is a day of mourning and a time when the lamentations are sung at night. During the afternoon service, the figure of Christ is removed from the cross and placed onthe Epitaphio, this is a shrine that is covered in white carnations and white roses. There are candles that adorn the top to the Epitaphio. After the lamentations are through, the entire congregation exits the church and the funeral procession is conducted. The Epitphio is carried before the congregation, the chori follows and then the alter boys carrying the lamps and lanterns into the streets. At our catherdral the police will cordon off the streets directly surropunding the Chruch for the Holy procession. We stop at each corner, announcing to the world, North South Eas and West that we are Christians. Everyone carries a candle and we are in mourning. After Good Friday services everyone is given a carnation or a rose from the Epitaphio to take home.

Holy Saturday is almost the same as the Roman Catholics. We have a midnight service in which all the lights within the church are extinguished, the priest comes out at midnight with a white candle and he goes to the door of the church to announce to the world that Christ has Risen. The congregation all have white candles and from the single flame of the priest candle the world is symbolic lit up. The Midnight Service of the Resurrection should normally be attended by all members of the Greek Orthodox family. It is really a moving occassion.

After the service on Saturday night, we are all given red dyed eggs, red is the color of life and is suppose to ward off evil and a symbol of Christ's victory over death.
We all may be different in our traditions and celbrations but most of us still believe that the old traditions are sometimes the best ones to keep.