Tuesday after Easter: Sts. Raphael, Nicholas and Irene the Wonderworkers, the Newly-Revealed Martyrs of Lesvos, Greece

 
 
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Orthodox Paschal Greetings from Around the World

Language Greeting Response

 

Aleut: Khristus anahgrecum! Alhecum anahgrecum!
Aleut: Khris-tusax agla-gikux! Agangu-lakan agla-gikux!
Albanian: Krishti U Ngjall! Vertet U Ngjall!
Alutuq: Khris-tusaq ung-uixtuq! Pijii-nuq ung-uixtuq!
Amharic: Kristos tenestwal! Bergit tenestwal!
Anglo-Saxon: Crist aras! Crist sodhlice aras!
Arabic: El Messieh kahm! Hakken kahm!
Armenian: Kristos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnial eh harootyunuh kristosee!
Athabascan: Xristosi banuytashtch’ey! Gheli banuytashtch’ey!
Bulgarian: Hristos voskrese! Vo istina voskrese!
Byelorussian: Khrystos uvaskros! Saprawdy uvaskros!
Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!
Coptic: Pchristos aftooun! Alethos aftooun!
Czech: Kristus vstal a mrtvych! Opravdi vstoupil!
Danish: Kristus er opstanden! Ja, sandelig opstanden!
Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
English: Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!
Eritrean-Tigre: Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou!
Esperanto: Kristo levigis! Vere levigis!
Estonian: Kristus on oolestoosunt! Toayestee on oolestoosunt!
Ethiopian: Christos t’ensah em’ muhtan! Exai’ ab-her eokala!
Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totisesti nousi!
French: Le Christ est réssuscité! En verite il est réssuscité!
Gaelic: Taw creest ereen! Taw shay ereen guhdyne!
Georgian: Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!
German: Christus ist auferstanden! Wahrlich Er ist auferstanden!
Greek: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!
Hawaiian: Ua ala hou ‘o Kristo! Ua ala ‘I ‘o no ‘oia!
Hebrew: Ha Masheeha houh quam! Be emet quam!
Hungarian: Krisztus feltamadt! Valoban feltamadt!
Ibo ( Nigeria): Jesu Kristi ebiliwo! Ezia o’ biliwo!
Indian (Malayalam): Christu uyirthezhunnettu! Theerchayayum uyirthezhunnettu!
Indonesian: Kristus telah bangkit! Benar dia telah bangkit!
Italian: Cristo e’ risorto! Veramente e’ risorto!
Japanese: Harisutos Fukkatsu! Jitsu ni Fukkatsu!
Javanese: Kristus sampun wungu! Tuhu sampun wungu!
Korean: Kristo gesso! Buhar ha sho nay!
Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
Latvian: Kristus ir augsham sales! Teyasham ir augsham sales vinsch!
Lugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Amajim ajukkide!
Norwegian: Christus er oppstanden! Sandelig han er oppstanden!
Polish: Khristus zmartwyckwstal! Zaprawde zmartwyckwstal!
Portuguese: Cristo ressuscitou! Em verdade ressuscitou!
Romanian: Hristos a inviat! Adevărat a înviat!
Russian: Khristos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese!
Sanskrit: Kristo’pastitaha! Satvam upastitaha!
Serbian: Cristos vaskres! Vaistinu vaskres!
Slovak: Kristus vstal zmr’tvych! Skutoc ne vstal!
Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad ha resucitado!
Swahili: Kristo amefufukka! Kweli amefufukka!
Swedish: Christus ar upstanden! Han ar verkligen upstanden!
Syriac: M’shee ho dkom! Ha koo qam!
Tlingit: Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot!
Turkish: Hristos diril – di! Hakikaten diril – di!
Ugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Kweli ajukkide!
Ukrainian: Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd yn wir!
Yupik: Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq!
Zulu: Ukristu uvukile! Uvukile kuphela!

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Christ is risen! Orthodox Easter 2019 in Greece...

Archbishop Ieronymos: Let us have a true Easter with inner Resurrection

Romfea.news

Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece wished “a true Easter, with inner Resurrection first of all, for each one separately and for all humanity as well”.

Furthermore, he stated to ANA-MPA, among others: “Let it be a real Easter, meaning passage –the Hebrew Pesach- denoting the Jewish Passover, commemorating the Jewish exodus from slavery in Egypt, to their country, to freedom, from the light to the darkness, from death into life. These are the true goals in our life”.
The Archbishop expressed for once more his hope and wish: “May we all have such a ‘Passover’ in our daily problems, let us have such and Easter this year as well”.
When asked what does a Christian must do to cope with today’s difficulties and temptations, the Primate of Greek Orthodox Church answered as follows: “This is a timeless question. Jesus Christ told us: ‘First you love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Then you must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commands hang all the law and the prophets’. These two commandments entail the meaning of life”.
Afterwards, Archbishop Ieronymos expresses his gratitude for the realization of a goal, which was his vision, the opening of the Gerontology Center in Oropos, Dilesi. “As a Church, beyond the life we give through the holy sacraments, we offer provide solace and care to people with go through difficulties”, concluded the Archbishop.

 

Easter traditions in Greece

Greek news agenda

Easter, or Pascha in Greek, is the most important religious holiday of the Orthodox Church marking the resurrection of Christ and the chance of rebirth for mankind. Many of the customs practiced in Greece at Easter originated in the very distant past and were later adapted as Christianity spread, taking on religious significance.

Easter holds a special place in the heart of Greeks. Starting on ‘Clean Monday’, the period of lent begins and lasts approximately for 40 days during which no meat or animal byproducts can be eaten. After the 40 days of fasting, people celebrate Easter. The Holy Fire, which is used to light the priest’s candle, is brought all the way from Jerusalem, accompanied by high-ranking Orthodox priests and government officials. It arrives in Athens earlier on Saturday, before being distributed across the country.

Traditions can differ from one region to another. In some parts of Greece, the visitor can experience something truly exceptional:

Traditions on Greek Islands

Easter in Hydra: Hydra Island, in the Saronic Gulf, celebrates Easter in an exclusive way. In the evening of Good Friday, villagers carrying candles follow the procession of Epitaphios through the streets of the island, which endsin the picturesque harbor of the Kamini district. There, the believers who carry the symbolic coffin go into the sea, so that both the people and the sea are blessed by the Holy Epitaph. As the Epitaph is in the water, songs for the sponge divers and the island’s sailors are heard.

 

Footage from Epitaphios at the Kamini district

Easter in Corfu: The Philharmonic Society of Corfu accompanies the procession of the mummified body of the island’s patron, St. Spyridon, as it is carried around the city on Good Friday. After the First Resurrection, which takes place in the Metropolitan church, the bells of all churches begin to toll and people begin throwing thousands of botides (a special type of clay pot), filled with water and laurel from their windows. This is a way to end the winter dormancy and celebrate the rebirth of nature. The locals also believe that it is a way to chase “evil” away. Easter Sunday is filled with music from the island’s numerous bands that march around the city center playing songs.

Easter in Chios island: On Easter days there is a well known t custom of Chios island, the “rocket war” that takes place at Vrontados village on the Resurrection evening. Many visitors arrive at the island to admire this spectacular “war" between the two largest parishes of Vrontados, Saint Markus and Saint Erythiani. From the time of the Ottoman possession yet, the locals hold this custom with the only difference that that time they used small guns. Goal of the two opponents is to hit the others’ church steeple. For those who will have the opportunity to experience this custom, you will be lucky enough to watch a very spectacular show with the countless fireworks flying through the air and enlighten the night sky.

Chios’ “rocket war” (©ANA/MPA)

Easter in Patmos: Patmos is an island with deep religious roots. The island is famous for the Cave of the Apocalypse, the place where it is believed that St John the Divine received his visions from Christ and transcribed the Book of Revelation. It’s worth mentioning also that the Monastery of St. John the Theologian is located in Patmosandis considered asone of Greece's most important centers of worship. In the evening of Easter Saturday, the Monastery opens its gates to welcome people for the celebration of the Resurrection. Locals and visitors have the unique opportunity to attend an Eastern Orthodox mass in a mystic atmosphere of devout concentration. When “Christós Anésti” (Christ has risen) is heard, an impressive fireworks display lights up the night sky. On Easter Sunday at 3 in the afternoon, the “Liturgy of Love” also takes place at the Monastery of St. John. During this liturgy, which is dedicated to the Second Resurrection, the Gospel of the Resurrection is read in seven different languages.

Easter in Cyclades islands: The Passions and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are celebrated with special splendor and devoutness in each island of the Cyclades group.

An impressive tradition on the islands of Kythnos and Lesvos, is the tradition of the swing. A swing is created in the main square on Easter Sunday, where girls and boys dressed in traditional costumes get on to swing back and forth. If someone sways the swing, then they must pledge before God and man to marry the one sitting on the swing.

On Folegandros island, the icon of the Assumption is taken from the Church of Agios Georgios and then carried around the town for three entire days. The icon procession passes through the homes of all religious people.

Founara in Lasithi, Crete (©ANA/MPA)

Crete: The religious feeling at Easter in Crete is intense and the celebration does not include only the Sunday of the Resurrection, but also the week before, which is called Holy Week. The churches are decorated beautifully with buds and flowers that have been intricately woven together. On Holy Friday,the Church mourns the death and burial of Christ. Housewives usually do not do any housework on that day, avoiding even cooking. The Epitaph procession takes place across the island and the faithful venerate it and go under it to receive God’s grace. In many villages of Crete on Holy Saturday, people make preparations for the founara of Judah. Founara means a big fire where they burn Judah every year. On the morning of Holy Saturday the boys of the village gather dry woods and branches near the church. At the top of the wood pile they place the effigy of Judah, and after the liturgy of the Resurrection they “burn Judah”.

Easter in Mainland

The “burning of Judah” takes place also in Northern Greece. In the region of Thrace, an effigy of Judah Iscariot is paraded around by children in the streets who ask locals for branches so they can burn him. On Holy Friday, the procession of the Epitaph stops outside a chapel, where the fire is ready to burn Judas. After the reading of the Gospel, people light the fire and burn the effigy.

In the village of Arachova (central Greece), locals celebrate Easter along with the name-day of Saint George, a moveable feast which traditionally falls near Easter.

On Easter Sunday, a procession carrying Saint George’s icon parades around the village. Over 3,000 villagers dressed in colorful traditional clothing follow the icon procession, while dancing troupes entertain the crowd.

Kalamata’s “saitopolemos” (©ANA/MPA)

In Kalamata, (Peloponnese), there is a tradition called “saitopolemos” .The participants are divided into 10 to 15 teams, each consisting of 15 to 30 young boys dressed in traditional costumes. They are armed with “saites”, (cardboard tubes filled with gunpowder) which are then lit.

Marianna Varvarrigou (Intro photo: St. Spyridon procession in Corfu ©ANA/MPA)

See also

Orthodox Easter: The Icon of Resurrection or The descent into Hades!

 

This Time Is That Time – Holy Week Thoughts

Ancient faith / Glory 2 God for all things // Fr. Stephen Freeman

At the very heart of traditional Christian worship is an understanding of time. “This time is that time.” When the Jews gathered for Passover and recited the words given to them, they said, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” Passover was not (and is not) a historical re-enactment, nor a simple memorial in which things done long ago are remembered. The key word is “we.” The events in Egypt and at the Red Sea are described as happening to us. “This time is that time.”

This same understanding runs throughout the liturgies of the Church. The Eucharist is not a memorial meal that remembers something Jesus did “back then.” Everything is present tense – this meal is that meal – that sacrifice is this sacrifice – everything is for us.
Orthodox Christians complete their Lenten Fast this weekend and enter the days of Holy Week. Very specific events are recalled: the raising of Lazarus; the entrance into Jerusalem; the tears of the harlot; the betrayal by Judas; the arrest and trial; the mocking, scourging and crucifixion of Christ; the harrowing of Hell; the resurrection from the dead. All of these are marked in the present tense. This time is that time.

The sacraments and liturgies of the Church are not meant to be exceptional. Rather, they reveal the true nature of our lives and the true nature of creation itself. Our contemporary world is dominated by an extreme historical consciousness in which time stretches out in a linear fashion. That which has passed no longer exists, except as we think about it. It has the unintended consequence of declaring that we ourselves are the only people who exist. Others are either dead and gone or do not yet exist. We are the center of all things. The inherent arrogance of such a worldview creates a cultural amnesia as well as an imaginary notion of our own power. We can create our world however we wish for there is only us.
As Christians, we affirm that it is God “in whom we live and move and have our being.” That which has existence does so only because God sustains it in existence. Only God is self-existing. For God, all times are present. And if, in Him, all times are present, then all times exist as present. That this time and that time should coincide is nothing strange. Indeed, the “fullness” of time can only be known in that manner.

Learning to listen and pray in this manner is a threshold to noetic perception – that means by which we see the truth of things and God’s work in the world. When we choose to see the world in a non-sacramental manner, with a linearity that immediately destroys everything we see, we become spiritually blind. We neither see nor hear what God is doing. Noetic perception sees things as a whole, rather than analyzing the world in separate pieces (a function of reason). The modern linear imagining of time represents a championing of reason at the expense of the fullness of human experience.

The liturgical life of the Church is not a rationalizing activity. It is a sacramental presentation of the whole universe in the presence of God. All things are there as are all times. The actions of Holy Week are not required as an exercise in historical memory. They allow us to be present to the fullness of time. We do not merely think about the events of that week – we walk in their midst and take a share in their reality. All of those things are “for our sake.” St. Paul can say, “I am crucified with Christ,” because he is utterly present to that day, just as that day is utterly present to and in him.
St. Gregory the Theologian’s First Paschal Oration is filled with this understanding:

Yesterday the Lamb was slain and the door-posts were anointed, and Egypt bewailed her Firstborn, and the Destroyer passed us over, and the Seal was dreadful and reverend, and we were walled in with the Precious Blood. Today we have clean escaped from Egypt and from Pharaoh; and there is none to hinder us from keeping a Feast to the Lord our God — the Feast of our Departure; or from celebrating that Feast, not in the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, carrying with us nothing of ungodly and Egyptian leaven.
Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorifiedwith Him; yesterday I died with Him; today I am quickened with Him; yesterday I was buried with Him; today I rise with Him. But let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us — you will think perhaps that I am going to say gold, or silver, or woven work or transparent and costly stones, the mere passing material of earth, that remains here below, and is for the most part always possessed by bad men, slaves of the world and of the Prince of the world. Let us offer ourselves, the possession most precious to God, and most fitting; let us give back to the Image what is made after the Image. Let us recognize our Dignity; let us honorour Archetype; let us know the power of the Mystery, and for what Christ died.

This is the Day of days.

See also

 

The Death of Christ and the Life of Man

An Atonement of Shame – Orthodoxy and the Cross
Victory Against Death - The Sadness and Joy of Holy Saturday!
About The Paschal Lamb
The Mystery of Holy Week and Pascha
The Orthodox Holy Week & Holy Easter (Pascha)
  

5th Sunday of Great Lent: Saint Mary of Egypt, "the most amazing story, which has taken place in our generation"...

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The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)

"Unto you, O Theotokos, invincible General, your City, in thanksgiving ascribes the victory for the deliverance from sufferings. And having your might unassailable, free us from all dangers, so that we may cry unto you: Rejoice, O Bride Ever-Virgin".
Icon from here

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The Akathist Hymn (a very concrete spiritual preparation for the Holy Week and Easter Services five Fridays in the Great Lent)
 

4th Sunday of Great Lent: St John Climacus (of the Ladder), the Great Orthodox Teacher of 6th century from Sinai...

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About the book (here):

Many laypeople have attempted to read the great spiritual classic, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, but have been frustrated in attempting to apply the lessons of this monastic text to their everyday lives in the world. Archimandrite Vassilios interprets the Ladder for the ordinary Christian without sacrificing any of its beauty and power. Now you too can accept the challenge offered by St. John Climacus to ascend closer to God with each passing day.