great week

the spruced up shoppes and homes and holes in the walls..
(who knew there was a restaurant there?)
bring an aire of celebration to the entire island..
nowhere more so than up in chora,
the petticoat village of the great monastery ~
rising, rising out of the mountain itself..
we are riding the wave to easter sunday..
( a rarity..western and orthodox
share the same dates this year..passover too!)
the wave of great week, holy week..

the greek orthodox believe that
the resurrection of jesus is his actual birth;
his triumph of eternal life from the mortal coil..
lent for the greeks begins on clean monday..
this is a day of celebration..kites fly high,
picnics abound..with meat-less dishes..drink and music..
the lenten fast has begun..
it is a time of spic and span..
rebuilding, releasing..olde for new..
so evident everywhere i look..

saturday of lazarus
16 april
known as the day of the first resurrection..
jesus returned the life blood to lazarus ..
children from the villages travel from house to house,
singing and gathering treats..

palm sunday
17 april
the streets are scattered with laurel and myrtle..
every home is decorated with a cross
of palm fronds braided together as a blessing..

good thursday
21 april
niptira..wash basin..
the scene of foot washing from the last supper ~
enacted here by the abbot of the monastery of st. john,
the monks and the priests..
i have been told:
this en-actment is done only here and jerusalem ..
though others have challenged this claim..
the easter eggs are dyed red symbolising..
the blood of jesus..
during the late night hours,
the women go to the many churches
strewn over the island to decorate the biers..
on which will rest the icon of jesus..
there is great competition betwixt the churches
for the most glorious bier ~

good friday
22 april
this is the day of mourning..
self -restraint and temperance hold the believers in..
the flags are flown at half mast,
the church bells ring prudently..
the cemetaries are visited to
decorate the graves of the deceased
with lavender and laurel..
the entombment of jesus
in mid-afternoon is followed
by the procession of the bier
from the monastery thru the square mid-evening..
the devout crowd, carrying brown beeswax candles,
follows the priest back to the church,
where the bier is taken into an inner chamber
to remain for 40 days..
around 10 pm, lamentations begin
at the monastery lasting about 4 hours..


easter saturday
23 april
all signs of mourning have been taken away
with fresh green laurel and chaste tree in their place -
bells, drums, pots and pans are loudly played
to distract the demons.. who are attempting
to prevent the resurrection of jesus..
the main service begins around 9 pm lasting for 5 hours..
the brown beeswax candles are exchanged for pure white..
these have been lit from the eternal flame in the monastery sanctuary..
one candle to another to another ~
rippling the light, the joy... out and out and out....

cristos anestis..christ has risen
parte to fos..take the light
alithos anesti..truly he has risen

the bells begin to ring loudly now..full gale..
fireworks explode in the night sky..
everyone heads home with their candle alight
to re-kindle their home lamp..
*feasting begins..

easter sunday
24 april
the service of love takes place in the monastery of st. john..
blessings are offered..
*feasting continues..

easter monday
25 april
the mayor invites everyone on the island
for *free food and drink and dancing....

that is a synopsis of what is to come..
we shall see how it compares to the hard copy..
cover me..
i'm going in ~

*this is where
many lambs and goats
are skewered
and roasted
and eaten..
amen