Teaching in Greece at Easter
Posted by Joe Hallwood - 14:28 on 10 April 2009
An unorthodox Easter
Teaching in Greece means you get to experience Easter Greek style.
We're not talking chocolate bunnies here, nor is it a gentle walk in the country with your family. We're talking the biggest
shindig of the year.
I have spent a few Easters in Greece, one that sticks in my mind most, though, is my first one.
After spending Lent recovering from the excesses of Smokey Thursday (not Wednesday), the Greek Easter is a cunning mix of
religious piety and outright hedonism.
Easter is preceded by the Big Week, preparations are made, goods bought and materials acquired. In fact, the week gets
bigger, the closer it gets to Easter Sunday. The local square gets more and more adorned, space is set aside for this show or
that.
Big Saturday comes along and time for late night church. Normally on a Saturday night everything is rocking, bars and taverna
are full to bursting and the streets packed with all ages taking their volta (stroll). On Big Saturday though, it's much
different. Come 10pm, everything begins to close down and by 11pm, the streets are deserted. Everyone has gone home to comb
their hair and put on their Sunday best. And off to church.
The churches are packed. In our local church on the small square, where we lived, we were left standing outside along with
all the other latecomers. The band leading the crowd that was coming along the street towards us, reminded me of a New
Orleans funeral. There was a long procession headed by the local priest and dignitaries and the oesophagus of Christ.
Everyone was holding unlit candles, special Easter candles, not your common household ones. Everyone, that is, except the
band! The procession of colour, sound and organised mayhem reached the church. It went very quiet as the priest disappeared
into the church and midnight approached. Candles at the ready. Midnight came and the priest somewhere deep inside lit the
first candle, lighting next the person's nearest to him and then slowly lighted candles were igniting others all around and a
wave of light was coming out of the darkness and quite soon a lit candle was touching my wick and my special Easter candle
was also burning brightly. From now on, everyone you meet must be greeted with a Christos Anesti (Christ is risen).
All over the town, light and noise were being restored. Now, it was time for some serious celebration. With Lent officially
over, everyone returned to their homes to get things going for the next day.
I walked back to the main square in search of a taverna, what I found was about a 100 metres of smoke and fire. All down one
side of the pretty massive plateia were piles of brushwood and rosemary. This was the start of the biggest barbeque in the
universe.
The next day involved food. It also involved wine. I should also mention that it involved dancing. A lot of it.
By morning, the rows of rotating lambs were nearing their completion (I'm feeling hungry at the memory), wine was being
handed out liberally (it's never too early for that) and the dance stage was being readied and kids were walking around in
their fustanella.
I had a date though. In fact, I had loads of them. I had been invited to that many parties. Guys from the local bar, parents
of kids I taught, the boss - saying 'no' is not really an option. So, chin up, keep hungry and don't gulp the wine.
The day was mad, those entertaining at home had returned home from church and lit their fires and had started roasting their
lambs in the early hours, kept alive by retsina. So, by the time I arrived at my various dates I was generally in a state of
catch up. I have never tasted such great lamb nor in fact eaten so much of it. The wine was generally home made, most
families in Greece having land somewhere where they can grow vines. I managed to get back to the square at some point in the
day to see some dancing, nearly all the kids I taught were dressed in traditional costume and performing skilful and well
rehearsed dances. It's uncool not to dance in Greece. I couldn't eat any of the free lamb on offer at the plateia but free
wine should never be refused whatever the circumstances.
So, when I spend Easter surrounded by chocolate mountains and endless walks, my thoughts always go back to that day of
unlimited lamb and endless wine.
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