It is Greek Easter this weekend
It is still quite hazy from the sandstorm on Wednesday but the wind has changed to a chilly northerly and the sky is starting to clear. The picture is one I took on Wednesday afternoon, as I walked home - sorry about the uninspiring view of the new car park excavations in the foreground, but I doubt if many of you have seen the Vigla looking quite like that!
For those of you who don't already know it, it is Greek Easter this weekend. We could hear the Maundy Thursday services from our farm last night as many of the churches have outside speaker systems these days. Chanting, accompanied by loud bangs and explosions, continued until late in the night and resumed again today. These are not the celebratory fireworks of the Resurrection but have their origins in the belief that the earth is vulnerable to evil during the period between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection and that Satan can be frightened away by loud noises. This used to be the beating of drums and pots but these days crackers and dynamite have taken over. Easter in these parts is not just an excuse to eat lots of chocolate and many people do actually go to church for the solemn services as well as the celebratory ones.
There are many Greek visitors on the island for the long weekend and yesterday evening, while watering the bottom potato field in the gathering dusk, I found myself explaining how to find the ruins of ancient Drakos to some puzzled Athenians who had, quite naturally, expected the line up of official signs to lead to something rather more promising than my fence. They agreed that it would be best to try again with a bit more daylight in hand and are probably picking their way through the daisies even as I write this.
We wish all our Orthodox visitors and readers a blessed Easter.
Have a good weekend.
Regards,
Adriana
www.symivisitor.com