
During Easter week celebrations (Pascha) the churches get decorated and several masses take place every day (each day symbolises a different phase in Jesus’ last days on earth. They begin with “Good Monday” and conclude on Sunday when the resurection of Christ takes place. People go to the church all week, but mostly at 12 o clock in the night where they gather in large an small, churches or monasteries, hearing the psalms and when the priest says “Christos Anesti” a holy light (fire), which is lit inside the church, is passed from candle to candle to each and everyone attending. Then the people take the lights at home, for prosperity. The day after the tradition of the roasted lamb takes place, where almost every corner of the country gets filled with smells, laughter and music. “Easter season is the most significant and sacred time of the Orthodox Church calendar. Orthodox Easter consists of a series of celebrations (movable feasts) commemorating the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the spiritual preparations begin with Great Lent, a 40-day period of self-examination and fasting(including Sundays), which starts on Clean Monday and culminates on Lazarus Saturday. Clean Monday falls seven weeks before Easter Sunday. The term “Clean Monday” refers to a cleansing from sinful attitudes through the Lenten fast. Lazarus Saturday occurs eight days before Easter Sunday and signifies the end of Great Lent. Next comes Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, followed by Holy Week, which ends on Easter Sunday, or Pascha. Fasting continues throughout Holy Week. Many Orthodox churches observe a Paschal Vigil which ends just before midnight on Holy Saturday (or Great Saturday), the last day of Holy Week on the evening before Easter. Immediately following the vigil, Easter festivities begin with Paschal Matins, Paschal Hours, and the Paschal Divine Liturgy. Paschal Matins is an early morning prayer service or part of an all-night prayer vigil. Paschal Hours is a brief, chanted prayer service, reflecting the joy of Easter. And Paschal Divine Liturgy is a communion or Eucharist service. These are the first celebrations of Christ’s resurrection and are considered the most important services of the ecclesiastical year. Greek Orthodox Christians traditionally break the Lenten fast after the midnight Resurrection Service. Customary foods are lamb and Tsoureki Paschalino, a sweet Easter dessert bread. In the Orthodox tradition, eggs are a symbol of new life. Early Christians used eggs to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the regeneration of believers. At Easter, eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for the redemption of all men. It is customary among Orthodox Christians to greet one another during Easter season with the Paschal greeting. The salutation begins with the phrase, “Christ is Risen!” The response is “Truly, He is Risen!” (source: http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/qt/orthodoxeaster.htm)