Home Page / Customs / Easter
Print this page
Easter

Several Days before Easter Sunday housewives clean their houses. They bake rusks and “flaounes”, a traditional Cypriot kind of cheese-bread. On Maundy Thursday, they dye eggs red so they can “chink” them on Easter Sunday. 

Hosanna Sunday: During this day housewives take boughs from olive trees to church to be kept them there until Whit Sunday. The boughs are hallowed and then taken back to people’s houses so that the family is protected by envy and evil. 

On Maundy Thursday, the iconostasis is covered with a black cloth as a sigh of mourning. In the evening, a model of the holly cross is placed in church along with a model of Saint John and Virgin Mary on the right and left side of the cross. 

Everyone goes to church in order to worship the holly cross and listen to the twelve gospels about the Passion Week as well as Christ’s crucifixion and death.

On Good Friday, in the morning the Sepulchralis decorated with flowers. Young men and women chant the Dirge whilst three girls bearing pomades sprinkle pomade, and throw flowers at the Sepulchral. At night, the Sepulchral’s procession takes place around the village.

On Holy Saturday a group of young peopledecorates the church with flags and when the chanter finishes with the Apostle, people make noise with their stools and the black cloth fall off the iconostasis. Then all young people enter the church and run around with the priest until all the other people stop making noise with their stools. This takes place only in Kalavasos and a lot of people come to experience this unique custom. It is also covered by national television. 

In the afternoon, a group of people used to go around the village and chant the hymn of resurrection. The people of Kalavasos would offer them a couple of flaounes.  

Around eleven o’clock in the evening the church bell calls all people to church, to celebrate the most important and joyful Service.

At the church’s parvis, people light a fire known as “Lambratzia”, a kind of bonfire. At twelve o’clock the priest announces, “Christ has risen” and starts with the vicars the litany procession. People light their candles from the Resurrection’s holy light held by the priest. Outside the church people will listen to the Gospels and chant. 

After church people go home, “chink” eggs, and wish each other. They note that Christ has risen, by announcing “Christ has risen” and “he has indeed risen”, accordingly. They also eat a soup with chicken and lemon, known as “augolemoni”, or  “traxanas” soup and “flaounes”. 

On Saturday they roast lamb and have agreat time eating, singing and dancing. A big festival commences at the afternoon at the village squar, where different traditional games are played. These are continued until Monday after Easter. What is more, a big football match is organised, between veteran football players and beginners.

VIDEO
 
 
3D
 
 
 
PHOTO ALBUM
 

 

Designed & Developed by NETinfo Plc