Easter is the most sacred observance in the Greek Orthodox faith, and this month’s newsletter would not be complete without mentioning the celebrations which begin Sunday 16^th April – Palm Sunday and continue throughout the week.

On Palm Sunday, the body of St. Spiridon (the patron saint of the island) will be carried out of St. Spiridon church and paraded throughout the old town. This tradition dates back from the year 1630. This parade is the largest on Corfu and is accompanied by all the philharmonic bands on the island.

Friday 21^st April is Good Friday and the solemn processions in memory of the burial of Christ will begin early in the morning. There will be parades throughout the day – At 4pm an Epitaph will leave the church of St. George in the Old Town and processions will then begin from every church in the town, each accompanied by a philharmonic band. This will continue until 9pm, when the main Epitaph leaves the Cathedral of Mitropoli (near the old port).All the church parades will meet and the main procession begins, accompanied by the philharmonic bands and choirs.

The celebrations on Saturday 22^nd will begin at 6am. The Church of St. Mary will simulate the earthquake which is described in the bible after the resurrection of Jesus. The Epitaph will once again leave the church of St. Spiridon and be paraded through the town to the slow rhythm of brass bands. Just before 11am, the area of the Liston will be full of people waiting for the first resurrection. At 11am exactly, you will hear the chimes of bells from churches throughout the whole island. At this time, the local people will throw ceramic pots off their balconies or out of their windows to the streets below. This is a Corfiot tradition which symbolizes the ‘throwing out’ of the evil spirit from their homes.

On Saturday night, at 11pm, crowds of people will once again congregate in the town square, to celebrate mass. Each person will have a candle to be lit just before midnight. (The flame is brought to Greece from Jerusalem and transferred to every church throughout Greece). At midnight the resurrection of Christ will be celebrated - church bells will chime and there will be a magnificent firework display. As the ceremonies and celebrations come to a close, it is a time for people to break their 40 days of fasting by eating a specially prepared dish of ‘margeritsa’ which is made from lamb offal.

Easter Sunday begins at 7am when each church celebrates the resurrection. On this day each family traditionally grills lamb on the spit. Easter Monday is a national bank holiday and villages will celebrate by parading from their main church to another village church. On Corfu, the village of Pelekas has one of the longest parades which starts at 7am and leaves from the main square. The cross and icons are carried up the local mountain of Agios Georgios where the small church is opened and blessed by the priest.

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