Return to Home Page Harrys Greece Guide

Miscellaneous Easter traditions

  • In the village of Arakhova, to the northwest of Athens, the older men eat, sing and dance and then run races, with the winner is awarded a whole lamb as his prize.
  • On the large island of Evia (Euboea) to the north of Attica, dances are lead by the 'papadhes' (Greek Orthodox priests), and then there are races with various prizes.
  • On the island of Kerkyra (Corfu), a bucket is filled with water and adorned with flowers, and all who pass by it are required to drop a coin in it. With the tolling of the church bells after the midnight mass, at the moment that Christ's resurrection is announced, those closest the bucket wash themselves with the water to receive forgiveness for their sins.
  • In the city of Megara, closw by Athens, girls perform a dance called 'trata' while veiled, the dance named for a fishing boat that uses seine nets, its movements mimicking the pulling of those nets out of the sea. This dance is said to resemble Byzantine dances.
  • On the Cycladic island of Tilos, the candles are dyed red with dye from a local root.