Easter is the most important celebration of the Orthodox.

On Great Thursday night, Jesus crucifixion occurs and late at night the decoration of the Epitaph takes place in churches. It is a custom in which the women mostly perform the mournful vigil in the temple.

On Great Friday the believers follow the Epitaph in the streets of the villages and the neighborhoods of the cities. In Volos, each year the Epitaphs of the biggest Holly Temples, that is to say that of the Cathedral of Aghios Nikolaos, of the Ascension of Christ, of the Transfiguration of Jesus and that of Aghios Konstantinos and Aghia Eleni meet at the coast of Volos.

Moreover, at the Monastery of Xenia the representation of the removal of Christ from the cross occurs. A crowd of believers gather from different places from Greece and watch the representation. They start at 15:00 from the old monastery and they transfer the procession at Calvary hill, where they worship Christ and bring Him down from the Cross and then, they return to the new monastery.

On Great Saturday the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated. Just before midnight the lights of the churches are turned off to signify in this way Christ’s journey to Hades. At the same time, all believers gather around the temple and at 12 o’clock a priest appears who brings the Holy Light and gives it to the believers chanting “Christ is Risen”. In the end, the whole church sparkles from thousands flames, bells start beating and all the believers hug each other and say “Christ is risen”-“ Verily the Lord”, while at the yards of the churches many people throw fireworks. The believers leave the church with their large candles lighted and as soon as they reach their homes they form a cross on their doorstep. This cross will protect them and will bring them luck for the whole next year.

A bit later, the whole family gathers to eat the traditional “Mageiritsa”, a soup with chopped liver or lung and rice.

On the next day it is Easter, so relatives and friends gather to roast the Easter lamp on a spit, drink, sing and dance.

The Holy Spirit is celebrated 50 days after Easter. In all Holly Temples a Solemn Thanksgiving is performed.

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