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EASTER IN SKOPELOS

Skopelos is a beautiful island in Aegean Greece, with 360 churches and Monasteries, that offers a unique experience for Easter. In Greece, Easter is a significant religious holiday and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and tradition. Holy Week is a period that begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter, the greatest feast of the Orthodox Church. It symbolizes the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Skopelos island is in a climate of devotion.

THE MEANING OF HOLY WEEK

In the Orthodox Church, Holy Week is a time of inner reconstruction and renewal of faith. During this week, believers follow a series of rituals and services that help them to realize the importance of the passion and resurrection of Christ.

Holy Week also represents the renewal of life and nature, as it has a strong traditional and spiritual character in many communities, including various customs such as communion, chapel decorations, egg painting, and the creation of candles for the Resurrection.

On Skopelos Island, you can expect to see the streets adorned with colorful decorations and flowers. Many of the island’s churches hold religious services throughout the week leading up to Easter Sunday. 

Like all holidays in Greece, it is accompanied by a variety of foods and delicacies. Particularly popular are the Easter cookies and buns.

FRIDAY BEFORE HOLY WEEK – LAZARUS SATURDAY

On the lush green island of Skopelos, as in other parts of Greece, the customs of the Easter holiday period beginning on the Friday before the Holy Week and the Saturday of Lazarus. The specific Friday the ladies clean and thoroughly care for their homes, then go to the Church of their parish to hear the “Service of the Bridegroom”.

On Lazarus Saturday the island fills with beautiful smells as homes bake the famous “Lazarakia” a kind of cookie-like confectionery, which is shaped like a little boy. They put nutmeg for their eyes and cross their arms in the middle. The children also make a rag doll and walk through the alleys singing a song.

PALM SUNDAY

Palm Sunday is the main Sunday before the Saturday of the Resurrection and marks Holy Week. Believers go to church in the morning for the service. There they take a branch of palm given to them by the priest. The leave provides them with a blessing in their home. The traditional dish of the day is fish. Moreover, future brides will receive from the priest along with palm-leaf a golden coin from their future mother-in-law.

The entire Holy Week is a period of fasting and the faithful eat Lenten foods.

HOLY THURSDAY

Holy Thursday is the day of Divine Communion of the faithful. Ladies are baking the easter cookies and the buns. Most people go too early in the morning to church to take communion. While, on the same day in the evening, the 12 gospels are read in four parishes. It is also the day when the eggs are dyed red.

Good FRIDAY

On Good Friday, you can witness the custom of the “Epitaphios” where a symbolic representation of Christ’s tomb is carried in procession around the town or village. On Good Friday, in Skopelos, in all the churches of the island, without exception, there will be a traditional re-enactment of the earthquake after the Stavros as described in the Gospels. Inside the churches, all the sticks strike loudly, the noise is reminiscent of an earthquake.

Each parish has its own epitaph which is traditionally decorated by women and young girls. In the evening, there is the procession of the Epitaph. In Glossa, at the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the custom of “Aratte Pyla” takes place. This custom is the representation of Christ’s entrance to Hades.

In the main town of Skopelos, there is a specific order in which the epitaphs come out. The church of “Christ” is first in the order, followed by the epitaph of “ Agios Ioannis”, then the epitaph of the church of “Panagia” and finally the epitaph of “Faneromeni”. The faithful follow the processions with yellow candles in hand, and the Epitaphs of all churches meet at the beach in the harbor.

Also, the monasteries of Timios Prodromos and Evangelismos, hold the procession of the Epitaph on the morning of Good Friday and not in the evening

HOLY SATURDAY

On Easter Saturday, the traditional “Resurrection” ceremony takes place, the children hold proudly their “lampades” in the church, where the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus by singing “The Christ is Risen” at the midnight, and fireworks light up the night sky. The priest will give the faithful the Holy Light. With this light, they form a cross over the doors of their houses and use it for the next forty days to light the candle.

Afterward, families and friends gather for a traditional Easter meal which typically includes the traditional dish “Magiritsa” and “egg tapping”.

EASTER DAY –  EASTER SUNDAY

Easter Sunday is the great feast of spring. On the day of love, people eat in their homes or go to their huts to celebrate Easter. Usually, the locals prefer the popular Skopelos goats rather than lamb. Melodies, happy voices, wonderful scents. The hospitable Skopelites always offer wine and snacks to guests.

EASTER CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Here are some customs and traditions that are observed during Easter on Skopelos Island:

1. Epitaph Procession: On the evening of Good Friday, there is a procession with the epitaph (a decorated bier) of Jesus around the streets of the town. This is a solemn and emotional procession with the faithful carrying candles and chanting hymns.
2. Resurrection Celebration: On Saturday night, there is a midnight service at the local church to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. At midnight, the priest lights a candle from the Holy Light and passes the flame to the congregation. Then, people bring home the Holy Light and use it to light candles and oil lamps in their homes.
3. Spit-Roasted Lamb: On Easter Sunday, the custom of skewering lamb or goat and “kokoretsi” prevails. This is a family affair, and people gather to enjoy the meal with friends and relatives.
4. Red Eggs: Red eggs are a traditional Easter food in Greece. The eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ, and they are usually served on Easter Sunday.
5. Egg Tapping: Another traditional game played during Easter is “tsougrisma,” or egg tapping. In this game, two people hold their eggs and tap them against each other. The winner is the one whose egg remains unbroken.
6. Fireworks: Fireworks are a common way to celebrate Easter on Skopelos. They are usually set off on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday and are enjoyed by people of all ages.

EXTRA TIPS FOR THE EASTER ON SKOPELOS ISLAND

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Author – Adrina Hotels Skopelos – www. Adrina.gr 

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