5 -11 April 2004: EASTER 

"It was a cool dawn in April; Easter dawn.  The sun had not iet risen and the church bells were ringing to call the faithful prayer.  And people came out of every door, washed and pressed, dressed in new clothes and joyful, and close behind one another, with order and piety, bowed beofre the icons and came to a stop in the centre of the church, or took a place in the prews. And the women arrived in a crowd, with their white kerchiefs on their heads, with gold chains hanging on their bosoms, with a modest and devout gaze, and stayed all together at the back of the church, since there was no women’s section.”
 
The Palm Sunday procession commemorates the deliverance of Corfu from the plague through the intercession of Saint Spiridon in 1630.  The Body of the Saint is taken in processíon around the streets of the town, accompanied by all the island's philharmonic orchestras.  The procession begins at the Saint's church at 11 in the morning and follows the line of the old town walls, from where the Saint drove off the plague.
People from all over the island pour into town, giving a festival feel to the day.  At midday, local housewives and tavernas serve the traditional dish of the day: stockfish or salt cod. Holy Week throughout Greece is governed by its church services, by fasting and by the expectation of the Resurrection. We recommend during this week that you leave town and alm for the villages.
Take strolls amongst nature which is moving into spring.  Scent its aroma.  After the dullness of winter rains and winter cold, the sunlight underscores the colours of nature.  The white, yellow, purple and green of the spring flowers, the blue of the sea and the skv form a backcloth to the grey of the walls of monasteries and their westernised wall frescoes.  Visit vìllages with Venetian houses, with pristine yards full of blooming potted plants.
Find little tavernas which have set their tables outdoors in the sun, to sample the tasty Lenten food and the local wine when it is at its best.  And as soon as the sun has set, head for the local café, where you can try Greek coffee or a sweet liqueur in the company of the locals.
If lt's Holy Tuesdav, listen to the Hymn of Kassianis, if it's Holy Wednesday to the Service of the Twelve Gospels in the monasteries.  At Agios Athanasios at Agros, at the Lady of Kokkinada at Lefklmmi, and at whichever monastery is functioning, you will enjoy direct contact with the essence and soul of Holy Week.
But if you stay in town, bear in mind that the Church of Agios Ioannis (John the Baptist) in the "Square of the Saint” celebrates with Byzantine hymns, while the Monastery of Agia Evfimia beside Mon Repos has the best tradition of services, together with the Platytera Monastery at Mandouki, Agii Theodori in Garitsa, and of course the Cathedral.  The singular feature of Easter in Corfu is the moving choral church music which overflows from the holy places and spills into the alleyways, onto the rooftops of the villages, and outside the monasteries into their forecourts.  This harmonious chanting, basically a type of four-voice choir, came from Crete during the 17th century and is known as "Cretan music".
On Holy Wednesday the Municipal Choir gives a concert of ecclesiastical music.  This tradition was established in 1989 with the aim of approaching the Holy Drama through the music of both the Eastern and the Western Church. A nice idea for Holy Thursday might be to attend the Service of the Twelve Gospels at the Duomo, the Catholic Cathedral in the Town Hall Square, where they light twelve candles and extinguish them one by one as the reading of each gospel is completed.
One custom which today has disappeared is the custom of Holy Thursday, which was preserved by women in the countryside until recently. The women would attend the church service, and while the priest was chanting the ritual of the Twelve Apostles, they would knit a piece of thread with their fingers.  They would place the little charm thus made around the wrist of a baby to ensure that God would protect it. Good Friday is the day for the "Epitaphios", the funeral of Christ.  All over the island, as all over Greece, every church brings out its own funeral bier and parades it around the parish.
 But in Corfu, the attendant philharmonic orchestras and choirs, and the presence of thousands of Corfiots as well as foreign tourists, give another dimension to the gravity of the occasion.  It is worth noting that the Old Philharmonic Orchestra (red costumes) play Albinoni’s Adagio, the Mantzaros Orchestra (in blue) Verdi's Marcia Funebre, and the Kapodistrias Orchestra the Elegia Funebre, Mariana's Sventura and Chopin's Funeral March.
The town processions begin in the afternoon to give the orchestras time to escort them all.  As the hours pass, the processions become thicker on the ground, until they all converge on each other, and people don't know which way to look first. 

The first epitaphios leaves the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Spiliotissa in the New Fortress and the Church of Pantokrator in Kampielo at two in the afternoon, and other churches follow, until ten in the evening sees the departure of the Epitaphios of the Orthodox Cathedral.
On Holy Saturday morning at 9 o'clock, the procession of Saint Spiridon, which was consecrated in 1550 when the Saint saved the island from famine, takes place.  The Saint shares the stage with the Epitaphios of his own church, a custom which was established during Venetian times when, for reasons of security, epitaphios processions were forbidden, while the procession of the Saint was permitted.  The accompanying orchestras play Michelli's Calde Lacrime, Faccio's Hamlet and Beethoven's Funeral March.
At 11 o'clock the First Resurrection and the Pot Throwlng take place, and the people throw pots out of windows, smashing them onto the street.  This noisy custom, originating with the Venetians, began in the town and spread to the villages.  On january 1st, the Venetians were in the habit of throwing all their old and useless objects out of the window to rejuvenate the New year.
 The Corfiots appropriated the custom, and moved it to their great Easter celebration.  Nowadavs, instead of throwlng old crockery the people use huge specially-made pottery jars full of water, to make a bigger crash.  Another explanation for the custom gives it a pagan provenance.
At Easter, nature starts its year and reawakens after winter.  Fruits are placed in the new receptacles, while the old ones are thrown out.  After the breaking of the pots, the philharmonic orchestras tour the streets, playing joyful tunes.
At Pinia, the old commercial center of the town, the custom of the “mastelas” (washtub) has been estabilished. A half-barrel decorated with myrtle and ribbon, is filled with water, and passers-by are invited to throw coins inside for good luck. When the first bell sounds for the Resurrection, someone jumps in the barrel and gathers the money. In old times, the diver was not a volunteer, but un unsuspecting pedestrian, who was thrown in against his will.
In Paxos, a unique and traditional "First Resurrection" ceremony takes place at Agios lakovas at Fountana, where on the fìrst chant of "Anesta of Kyrios" the congregation beats the pews rhytmically, while outside chaos reigns, with shots and gunfire. In Corfu's villages, after the First Resurrection, they slaughter the pascal lambs, using the blood to draw a cross on their door lintels.
On Holy Saturday evening, before the Orthodox ceremony takes place, you can attend the Catholic service at the Duomo Cathedral.  With the participation of all Church Agencies, this Resurrection Service finishes at 11 to allow the clergy time to order themselves for the Orthodox one.  All over Greece, the ceremony takes place on a platform outside the church.  In some Corfiot villages, it is customary to close the doors of' the church, and with the first shout of "Christ is Risen" (Christos Anesti), the Priest, having made three circuits of the church while chanting, kicks open the central door and enters, singing the psalm "Enter, enter, by the Grace of God".
In Corfu Town, the service is held in the Upper Esplanade Square, starting at the Church of Agia Paraskevi, with the Bishop, the philharmonic orchestras and thousands of people.  The Resurrection is seen in with a firework display, and when this ends, the bands traverse the streets of town at a great pace playing cheerful music, with people running behind them singing.  The party has only just begun, and will last to dawn. 
The island now comes to life, with chilihourda (the local Easter soup), red eggs, fogatsa (brioche), colombines (a special bread of Venetian origin, baked in the form of a dove), and of course a large quantity of wine, to break the Lenten fast, and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

"Good evening brothers and sisters, season’s greetings; Lent, which lasted seven weeks, is over. Lent, when we were sad, is over, and now all the world is joyful because Christ is risen, and Christians everywhere are glad.” From an Easter carol, which children would sing late on Holy Saturday evening.
At seven on Easter Sunday morning, churches in town which possess an icon of the Resurrection parade it around the central streets, something which is well worth seeing. The parades finish around 10 0’clock, but the great Easter celebration is far from over. If you were up all night, now is the time to snatch a little sleep – or if not, what would you say to a trip into countryside? Alternatively, the town offers an Easter lunch party at the Naval Base (New Fortress) and a parade of the Resurrection icon from the Church of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) in Garitsa ay 6,30 in the evening.
In Corfu, unlike in the rest of Greece, spit-roasted lamb is not part of the tradition, and only appeared as a custom recently. Here they eat avgolemono (egg and lemon soup) made with two or three different kinds of meat, and they leaire the lamb for the next day. They crack red-dyed eggs one agaínst another and stick the shell on doors, or throw it into the garden, to bless the harvest.
The week followlng Easter is called “enia” or "nia" (=new), as in Nia Monday, Nia Tuesday and so on. It is a very holy time and many events take place.
On Easter Monday, processione take place throughout the island.  Early in the morning, after the service, each church brings out its standard and its cross.  The standard is especially tall and heavy, and is carried by the strongest young man, who regards the duty as a great honour.
In Lefklmmi, the Church of the Annunciation at Potami sets out first, and, passing through every parish, leads the others into the procession.  They join to form a huge parade which alms for the river.  When two churches meet, “maskoulas" (homemade bombs) are thrown.  They are made from a metal pipe filled with gunpowder and closed at the end with an ear of malze or some wood, with a little hole for the fuse.  The competition for who can throw the noisiest firework is dangerous, and you should keep your distance.
The churches south of the river begin their parade with the church of Agios Isavros in Mellkla leading the way, following a route equivalent to the other procession, and the two parades meet at the river bridge, where they say a communal prayer.  After the procession, the people go home to roast their pascal lamb.
On Easter Tuesday at five in the afternoon, at the Church of Saint Spiridon, the Saint is returned to his casket.
The Friday after Easter sees the celebration of the Source of Life (Zoodoxos Pigi), and festivals take place throughout the island, the best being the one in Paleokastritsa. 
On the Sunday after Easter (Saint Thomas' Day), there is a procession and dance at Episkepsis and a festival at Sidari.
For any information or reservation write to:Vincent Soueref

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