Well, the Easter celebrations are over and done with for another year, and it is time for everyone to get ready for the summer tourist season. It begins the first week in May, then peters out slowly, beginning in mid September.

Sitting on our balcony this morning , overlooking our traditional village main street, I realised how far we had come since we moved to Corfu thirteen years ago.

We arrived with our car and caravan, loaded up to the windows with our personal possessions, a few household  items and our beloved pet cat,  in October 1994.

We stayed in a huge holiday villa for the first winter, in Dassia. It was rented to us cheaply by the owner, as it was off season.

It had no heating of any kind, and by the second week in December we thought we were going to die of exposure. We even moved a blanket off the bed to underneath the bed, to stop the damp and cold from rising upwards when we were sleeping.

By the time the Christmas celebrations started, we had moved out of the villa, to smaller, but heated, accomodation. For the first couple of years we couldn't afford to furnish the house well, so we managed with a plastic table and chairs, and garden furniture as armchairs.

But we loved those first years in Corfu, even though we were struggling to settle in and get established. We moved a total of five times, before finally finding a house we both liked and could afford to buy , in Sinarades.

So that is how I came to be sitting on my balcony now, looking down at the coach loads of German and Dutch tourists who are having a guided walking tour around the village's historic houses.

Many of them waved and shouted Kalimera, good morning, in Greek to me. I felt pleased as they stopped to admire the potted flowers and strawberry plants I had just placed on the balcony and the ledge outside our house.

I felt proud to be part of this traditional village, and to be able to welcome them to Sinarades, and to Corfu.

Welcome, and come back soon to see us again!

 

The night air is cool, but refreshing, as thousands of men, women and children wait in growing anticipation of what is to come.They talked in hushed voices, their faces glowing with the awe and wonder of the event they are about to experience, some for the first time, many for the thirtieth or fortieth time. Local families with all the generations from great grandmother to great grandchild , visitors from the mainland who have travelled over in coaches to be part of the wonderful experience, and tourists who have heard about the unique celebration of Easter that is held yearly here in Corfu, Greece are all here,united in the anticipation of this spiritual ceremony.

    

     Thousands and thousands of people have travelled to the island of Corfu, the second largest of the Ionian islands, to join in the celebration of Easter. This is no ordinary Easter service, the way it is celebrated is unique throughout the world.No other service comes near to the mass spiritual experience as celebrated on this tiny island.

    

     Around eight o clock in the evening of Easter Saturday, the families and coaches start to arrive in the town centre.All the people are dressed in their best clothes, from the grandmother down to the new born baby in her pram.This is a family time, and a time for special happiness and harmony. The visitors, locals and tourists all mingle together in an endless crowd of people, wandering around the picturesque old town until it is time for them to make their way to their favourite viewing place for the ceremony. It is difficult to know where to stand, the park in the Liston is the favourite place to go because it offers the best view of the Fortress, where the priests will carry the Holy Light up to the top of the hill, and at midnight  light the Holy Cross so everyone will know that Easter has arrived.But it will be very crowded around the Liston, and it will not have the best view of the fantastic fireworks display that begins at midnight.

    

     Masses of people can be seen , all the way from the Liston at the top, lining the harbour wall far across Garitsa bay, as far as the eye can see to the windmill at the far end of the huge sweeping bay. Stalls full of candles decorate the pavement in front of the gently lapping waves of Garitsa. The bright lights and candlesof the candle sellers stalls  calling the people to buy their candles, if they have not brought their own. Many of the children have received special candles as gifts from their family, or from their Godparents. The children have special candles, long and shaded by a cup so they do not get splashed with hot wax , attached to Sindy dolls for the girls and toy cars for the boys, with tiny teddy bears and rattles for the babies.Most adults prefer the plain golden beeswax candles that are made in the town, or the bright red candles with flowers and fruit decorating them.

    

     It is almost eleven thirty, and most of the people have made their way to a good spot to see the ceremony or fireworks display. The air is full of anticipation and childlike expectation of what is to come. The town band can be heard in the distance for a short time, and then the steady rhythmic chanting of the priests takes over. The procession makes its way through the throngs of people, the crowd reverently standing to one side so the priests can pass by unhindered.Thousands of people make the sign of the cross as the priests and religious icons move slowly past them.As the procession  makes it way step by step up the hill to the top of the fortress the excitement builds. The people stare in awe at the Holy Light,protected from the wind by the storm lantern that surrounds it,  brought over from the Holy Land that very day.It is almost Easter, the most important celebration of the year.

    

     At last the waiting is over, and the priest at the top of the hill anounces that "He is risen", the crowd answers as one that "He is truly risen" and the first fireworks light up the sky over Garitsa Bay.No one is watching yet though, the people are still looking towards the hill, where the Holy Light is being passed from candle to candle, hand to hand. Families, visitors and strangers alike are all embracing each other and wishing each other Happy Easter.All will receive a flame passed down from the Holy Light, it makes no difference where they come from, or who they are.

    

     As the flames from the candles light up the bay from the Liston to the windmill, some two kilometers away, the crowd begin to watch the fantastic fireworks display.The bright lights of the fireworks are reflected in the huge expanse of water, making up a strange moving kaleidoscope of colour, light and darkness. The bay is full of tiny fishing boats, all carrying their own small display of coloured flares, and proud families of local fishermen who earn their living from the sea.The fireworks are amazing, with a truly fantastic display, the loud bangs of the rockets echoing against the buildings of the old town.Some old timers are firing their shot guns into the air to celebrate the arrival of Easter, a village tradition that has even spread to the town centre.

    

     Families are laughing, happy that Easter is here and that they are sharing it with friends and family, strangers and visitors. This is Corfu at its best.The fireworks are over now, the candle stalls are deserted, but the owners have left candles behind for anyone who doesn't have one yet, so they can take part too.Throngs of people are making their way back to the cars and coaches that are parked all along the sea front and in special areas in town. The sea of lighted candles is moving, along with the crowds.

    

     The tradition here is that you take the lighted candle back home with you, and to bring blessings to the house and the family you must burn the sign of the cross above the main doorway. Carrying a lighted candle in a car is not an easy task in the very busy traffic that is trying to leave town, but somehow most families take home at least one candle that can be used to make the sign of the cross.

    

     Once the act of burning the cross over the household door has been completed, it is time for the family to start the celebrations.Most of the adults have been observing Lent for the last forty days, and have not been eating meat, dairy products or olive oil. A table has already been booked at their favourite taverna, and they are all looking forward to the special family meal they will share together. A special soup is on the menu at the taverna, Maguritsa, which is made from the offal of the lamb which was slaughtered earlier that day. It is rich and tasty and delicious, and once the meat has disappeared from the plate, the family eagerly mop up the gravy with the special Easter bread, which is unleavened.

    

     The celebrations in the taverna will last until the early hours of the morning, but none of the family will sleep in. The men will be up early in the morning, preparing the lamb for the spit , and getting the charcoal bed laid properly so the lamb can cook slowly during the day. The act of cooking the food is a ceremony in itself, the men will laugh and share jokes and glasses of the wine the family made last autumn.Each will take turns turning the spit by hand, ensuring the lamb is perfect for the meal this afternoon. The women crowd the kitchen each contributing her own special dish to the feast which is being prepared for everyone to share.There is enough for the family, for friends, for any visitors who wish to come and share it with them. All will be made welcome.

    

     The children are running and playing with their special Easter eggs. These are not the commercially produced chocolate ones, but real hard boiled eggs from the village chickens, boiled in red dye so the outside shells are the colour of blood. The children have baskets and plastic bags full of eggs  They play an age old game with them, holding the egg upright in their fist while their friends tap it with the tapered end of their own egg. The person with an undamaged egg at the end of the games will have good luck throughout the coming year.

 

     At last a voice rings out and calls everyone to come and join the family at the tables, the lamb is ready. Kronia Polla! Happy Easter!  

All rights reserved. Copyright 2006 

    

Hello, welcome to my new blog. This blog will be a regular feature of my new website. This website was created to replace my old site, which just could not cope with the number of visitors it was getting.

 I would like to say a big welcome to all readers from my previous site, Mycorfudreams, as well as to any newcomers who have just discovered my sites and my writing.

I am a freelance writer, researcher and website designer based in Corfu Greece. I moved here permanantly thirteen years ago. I write for publishers and websites all over the world. I specialise in writing about Real estate and buying property and land in Greece, as well as writing about other subjects such as Cookery and Travel, Traditional life in Greek villages and short stories.

This blog will include short articles about life in Greece, as well as snippets of news about what is happening in the traditional Greek village where I live.

We are in the run-up week to Greek Orthodox Easter. Each day is an important celebration in its own right. Read the article about the Greek Easter celebrations in Corfu in the next part of this blog.

Janet