Greek Easter. Not An Egg In Sight.

This is the second time we've been here over Greek Easter (which isn't
always the same date as ours, but was this year) so we knew what to
expect. Many businesses not open and most of those that were open were
closing early. This included our favourite cafe/bar Metaxi Mas. Once
again we were the only English in there, quite probably the only
tourists in there and most definitely the only people over 30 years of
age in there!

We downed our dinner (felafel, hummus & tabouleh pitta for me, veggie
burger for wife) and went for a walk along the harbour and back to
fill in time between the cafes closing (10) and the festivities
beginning (11.30).

Our walk only took up half that time, most of that being spent
chatting to a Cypriot ex-pat (ie she now lives in England), her
husband & son. With time still to kill we ended up in Cafe Vienna,
where we killed time last Easter too, one of the only cafes still open.

Eventually we headed up to the church and joined the throng outside.
We bought a candle (the service culminates in the lighting of candles
- you're supposed to get it home without it going out. Obviously we
have no chance, but it's fun watching families, and even "young guns"
trying to cram into their cars with candles still burning!) I wondered
if you would fail your entry into the Greek Orthodox ministry if you
didn't have a decent voice - I've not heard a Greek priest yet who
can't carry a tune, at least passably.

Eventually the flame emerged from the church and passed through the
crowd, each person lighting their neighbours candle until everyone's
was burning. The crowds drifted away and we got back to the car, our
candle now out as we decided to preserve it to light for a few minutes
at home each Easter from now on.

It struck us that this was Easter celebrated the way it ought to be,
with not a chocolate egg in sight (they're a rareity in supermarkets
and probably only there for ex-pats).

By the time we got home it was well late, but as luck would have it,
just in time to see Sunderland on Match Of The Day!

Sent from my iPod.