Greeks worldwide are preparing to celebrate their pascha or Greek Orthodox Easter. Considered the most important holiday on the Greek calendar, Orthodox Easter’s uniqueness lies more in the week leading up the event rather than the actual religious holiday.
In books about local traditions we find 'general' traditions for every season of the year, practically for every week of the month too! For today, Thursday, Tsiknopempti, they write about Nettle pie.
“Kleidona” in Homer meant something unknowable, but later on came to mean a form of divination. As a custom, it derives from ancient Greece and the wild Dionysiac festivals and it is mentioned in Byzantine chronicles. Recently in Aegina the custom was revived after many years: “For the older ones to remember, and the younger
During my beautiful, carefree, childhood years the preparations for the celebration of Easter began during the last week of the Carnival. In our schools, every class, particularly the younger pupils, made The lady Lent on the Saturday (the school week was then six days!) before Cheese Fare Sunday! The materials were always the same, a sheet of cardboard, white on one side and grey on the other, a writing pad with its transparent pape r to copy the design, and some carbon paper for better results!
