Saturday

Still preparing for easter as though we were expecting a few dozen visitors.

Late last night I kneaded enough sourdough for two loaves of Easter bread and those went into the oven this morning.  One loaf went off to another part of the family.

  Offal was chopped and a mountain of lettuce washed for the easter soup, magieritsa, which we will eat as usual after the midnight service, to be watched on television this year.

K was busy preparing a long skewer of offal to go onto the BBQ tomorrow.  Potatoes were peeled, the lamb marinated and everything went into the fridge so hopefully we will have an easier day tomorrow.  Just the two of us

The Holy Light arrived in Athens from Jerusalem at 6pm on a special Aegean airlines flight.  Usually the light is sped off to every island, village, and city in the country and is carried to every household, almost, in the country.  Just before midnight the priest lights his candle inside the church and the flame is passed to the crowds outside, from candle to candle .  This year the light went to a church in Athens where it will be kept burning, until it can safely travel from hand to hand all over Greece .

My daughter and her husband brought us up a Holy Light from a Monastery on the mainland.  

We lit our candles, a couple of lanterns and  festive lambathas from years gone by

And our special easter candles made by my youngest grandaughter.

With these we will make the cross over the door.

We lit candles in 2 lanterns and then called to our one and only close neighbour to come down and take the light up to their house and a phone call to another neighbour brought him down to also take the Holy Light home.  

Most homes this year will have to make do with a candle lit by a cigarette lighter.