40 days after the Easter rising of Christ. For forty days the greeting should have been, and once was, Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen) and the answer Alithos Anesti (Truly he is Risen) instead of Kalimera (Good Morning). Now we can go back to Kalimera. Only the priests and truly religious follow this practice now.
Orthodox Whit Monday, Agiou Pnevmatos, was yesterday, a public holiday. Beautiful weather, long weekend, schools have just closed, I was surprised the island wasn't awash with visitors from the big city.
There are plenty of people around, Greeks and tourists, walking up and down, but not enough to fray my nerves and send me heading for my quiet home in the hills.
Saturday was All Spirits Saturday when bowls of funeral wheat are taken to church to be blessed and then handed out, in paper bags with a plastic spoon, in remembrance of your dear beloved, gone but not forgotten, The priest will go down to the cemetary and bless their graves for a few euros, or even none at all.
PLEASE check your comments!!!
ReplyDeleteYou have 2 of those weird foreign language comments! Is it Arabic?
Looks like they are full of click-able links.
Look! Look! Look!
Thanks. I had already deleted one this morning. Didn't expect any more!!
DeleteYes. We only really say the Christos annesti for that day and then it’s all forgotten. For another year.
ReplyDeleteSad isn’t it
Twenty years ago it was still in practice but is definitely dying out now.
DeleteAnother tradition down the drain
Does it get very busy there with tourists in the Summer season? Too many people here and there stress me out a bit.
ReplyDeleteFar too many people. I can't stand it either and avoid the crowds as much as I can. Shop early in the morning, go swimming late afternoon, avoid all these festivals - as much as I can. Husband loves it all, except for the traffic on the roads and the lines in the supermarket. August is the worst especially round 15th when the whole country goes on holiday. Now and again we take to the mountains!!!
DeleteYou celebrate so many religious festivals there. It reminds me of a book a former flatmate had. Written by Maria von Trapp it followed the religious festivals through the year.
ReplyDeleteThere are many celebrations and then we've got birthdays on top of that. Peter, Paul and the Apostles coming up at the end of the month. Summer is full of them, especially July and August.
DeleteIts good we remember our beloved ones. Thanks for sharing LA.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Dave!
ReplyDelete