I was surprised to hear from Mirela that her celebration of Easter was going to come after a few weeks after when I thought everyone else celebrated. The difference in timing apparently due to the uses of different calendars – the Greek the modified Julian calendar and the Western world the Gregorian calendar.

Normally in Athens, Mirela says, Easter is very important for the Greek Orthodox and is a great time for feasting and celebration. Its also a time when Mirela is used to be being surrounded by friends and family. I think this year is the first time she’s spent it away from home and, to be honest, it seemed she really missed the celebrations from her home town. Hard to imagine but she actually felt lonely in the sea of Greeks that greeted us both times we arrived at the local Greek church. Probably because she was missing her friends and family.

Last night, for Good Friday, we went to Aghia Sophia Greek Cathedral about five minutes walk from the house. I’ve only been in the Cathedral once before I must say it’s a bit of a hidden gem – a very beautiful church. When we arrived the police had cordoned off the road from all oncoming traffic. Greeks spilled all over the sidewalk and street to the sidewalk to the other side. There were easily a few thousand present tonight. Getting into the Cathedral was not even possible during the ceremony. Traditionally this is the day for mourning the death of Christ as represented by the procession of a decorated coffin carried through the streets by a select few. A similar thing happened tonight except that the journey was literally out of the church up and down the street and back again. Mirela says in Athens that the procession generally makes its way over all the streets in Athens and not just up one street. When the whole celebration finished we made our way into the Church so Mirela could kiss I guess the representation of the coffin. This was quite a challenge. Considering this day was about respect and mourning those around us were extremely pushy. At one point Mirela even had an argument with one of the girls.

Then tonight we returned to the church for Holy Saturday – the day for celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. After our very late dinner we turned up at the church. Tonight’s event was even busier than yesterday with the crowd I’m sure numbering at least five times Friday’s event. I’ve never seen so many Greeks gathered in one spot – not even when I was in Athens in December last year! LOL. A few Greek celebs were even present and we were standing right next to them. My stalkarazzi skills got a chance to be exercised once again. 🙂

We all bought giant white candles from the “black market candle seller” (some dude who took the opportunity to make some quick money from unprepared people like us who didn’t bring their own candles.) At midnight the priests apparently announced that “Christ is Risen.” At this point in Athens Mirela says normally fireworks are set off etc. In London the only indication that this declaration had been made was the ripple in the crowd and the subsequent passing on of the lighting of the flame. The flame of the Holy Flame taken from Christ’s nativity cave in Jerusalem apparently.

We unfortunately didn’t continue on with the tradition of cracking dyed red Easter eggs (which is meant to symbolise Christ breaking out from his tomb). Each person gets an egg and in conker styles goes around cracking the eggs against another’s. Whoever has a whole egg still at the end of the process will have all the luck.

It has definitely been interesting to witness this Greek Easter. However, it makes me wonder exactly where I’ve been for the last three Easters – how could I have missed such a gathering of Greeks in the past!

Afterwards we went on a massive walk to meet up with Mirela’s uni friends at a bar on Portobello road but by the time we got there the bar was closing! I think for Greeks they are probably thinking that by the time things shut here in London things are just starting for the Greeks!