Good Friday

Great or Good Friday

A day of mourning.  Shops  and offices remain closed until after the morning church service when Christ is taken down from the cross and placed on the flower covered epitafio (bier).  

No cleaning allowed, no sewing, knitting, no playing of music or washing of clothes.  But naturally cooking and washing dishes is permitted, essential in fact.  This is a very strict day of fasting.  Traditional people eat no oil today so it is boiled potatoes, tomatoes and cucumber with vinegar, olives, onions and bread for lunch and dinner.  We have boiled shrimps as well.  A gift from a friend yesterday.  They are tiny but tender.  I snap the heads off and eat the rest soft shell and all.

Church bells toll a slow death knell which carries on all day.   I believe they do stop during siesta now but then continue till the evening service which ends in a candlelight parade along the waterfront.

My sis in law insists that Good Friday is always dull and overcast and often raining, but today there is a north wind blowing and all the red dust from the Sahara has disappeared.  It is sunny and warm.

The island is pulsating.  People everywhere, walking, drinking coffee, city slickers driving their big jeeps with darkened windows, everyone greeting friends with a 'Kronia Polla' and 'Kali Anastasi' a 'Good Resurrection' .

Grandchildren take part in the evening procession.  One is an altar boy and grandaughter carries a basket of rose petals which are scattered along the way.  Each of the three big churches and the church at the Naval base take part in the parade.  Each decorated bier, priests and congregation meet near the main square on the harbour.  One church sails along the waterfront in small boats, disembarking at the square.  

During the day we  visit the churches on Poros to see each epitafio, light a candle and the children scramble under each epitafio three times to bring them good health.  

This is one day we, just us, don't drink alcohol.  
Many people here got out after the parade to drink ouzo and eat kalamari and shrimps.  We go home.