Easter in Corfu, Greece

Easter to Greeks is the ultimate religious celebration of Christ’s crucifixion as well as resurrection. Those visiting Corfu during the Greek Orthodox Easter will discover that the general mood escalates from solemn to joyous rapidly making the whole holiday a truly unique experience. Easter in Greece is generally a few weeks later than the western world due to the fact the church bases its liturgy on the Julian calendar, which means that visitors get to enjoy the sunny and warm weather of spring!

Corfu Town goes all out during Easter. Statues of St. Spiridon (the island’s patron saint) and the Virgin Mary are paraded through the town’s streets while local philharmonic bands, choirs, the clergy and the locals follow.

Easter festivities commence on Palm Saturday. On this day, families traditionally gather together to make Easter treats like almond and honey cakes. On Holy Thursday, the town goes into mourning as the locals leave the church service and the bells ring mournfully symbolising the death of Christ.

The next day is when the Epitafios takes place, which is Christ’s symbolic funeral service. In the morning, the solemn toll of church bells wake up the local. In the afternoon, the main streets of the town boast with epitafious (either icons of Christ or wooden boxes decorated with flowers that symbolise the tomb of Christ). The last procession of the day starts at 10 in the evening, where the richly decorated epitafios takes the lead and the local brass and wind bands follow playing mournful music.

The following day is when the true festivities begin! At 11 am sharp the church services announce that Christ has resurrected and all you can hear is people calling Christos Anesti, meaning Christ has risen, and the joyful sound of church bells. Once Christ has risen, locals begin launching ceramic pots down into the streets as a sign of renewal. The smashing of pots, the sound of the joyous bells, the cheery crowds and singing choirs create a joyous disharmony all through the town.

The day has not ended though. During the night there is another service where all locals gather at Pano Plateia. At exactly midnight, Christ’s resurrection is once again announced and all those attending light up candles (lambades) with the holy light. Celebrations continue well into the night with fireworks that illuminate the sky and the burning of Judas, the traitor.

Easter Sunday is food day! Families and friends gather to enjoy a whole roast lambs and all the trimmings along with lots of wine and music! Happy Easter!