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Lent
Holy Week and Easter Traditions
The Sundays of Lent
The First
Sunday of Lent - The First Sunday in Lent is called
Orthodoxy Sunday because on this day each year is
celebrated the Feast in honor of the restoration of the
use of icons, or holy pictures, in the Church. This
Feast was first celebrated on March 11, 843, when after
more than a century of controversy the Byzantine Empress
Theodora finally brought about a restoration of the
icons. The First Sunday of Lent has been kept as an
anniversary of Orthodoxy ever since that time, because
those who had wished to do away with the pictures were
also desirous of modifying the Orthodox Faith; the icons
were and are a symbol of the Orthodox Faith, and no
Orthodox Church is without them.
The Second Sunday of Lent - The Second Sunday of Lent
commemorates St. Gregory Palamas, a monk of Mt. Athos,
who about 1350 became Archbishop of Salonika in Greece.
St. Gregory was a famous ascetic who developed a system
of mystican contemplation aimed at promoting union with
God. His ideas found favor among the Eastern monks, and
in 1368, eight years after his death, he was declared a
Saint by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Philotheos,
who had convened a Council to consider his life and
works. From that time to the present, he has been
remembered every year on the Second Sunday of Lent.
The Third Sunday of Lent - The Third Sunday of Lent
marks the middle of the Lenten period. This day is
dedicated to the Holy Cross, and the ceremonial of the
day is similar to that of Holy Cross Day, September 14.
At the end of the Liturgy, the Cross is carried in the
procession on a tray of flowers, and placed on a table
in the center of the Church. The Priest stands before
the table and raises the Cross aloft, praying for the
welfare of all Orthodox Christians. He circles the
table, stopping at each side and raising and lowering
the Cross, and praying in turn for the President of the
United States and other civil authorities, for the Armed
Forces, for the Archbishop, and for all Orthodox clergy.
After the prayers the blessed flowers are distributed to
the people, in token of the refreshing beauty and
strength which comes from the Cross of Christ, and to
encourage them in the midst of the Lenten fast.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent - The Fourth Sunday of Lent
celebrates the memory of the famous Saint and ascete,
St. John of the Ladder, who was head of the monastery
located on Mt. Sinai, where he died in 605 a.d. St. John
got his name from a famous book of spiritual exercises
which he wrote and entitled "The Ladder of Perfection,"
and which he intended to serve as a means of climbing
spiritually from earth to heaven. St. John's regular
Feast Day falls on March 30; his commemoration on the
Fourth Sunday of Lent as well, probably had its origin
in the fact that his book of spiritual directions was
read in the monasteries during the Lenten period, and
that he was regarded as one ot the greatest monastic
ascetes.
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent - The Chief feature
of the Morning Services prescribed for the Thursday of
the Fifth Week of Lent, is the Great Canon of St. Andrew
of Crete. When performed in parish churches, this
Service is done on Wednesday evening, and is usually
much abridged because of its extreme length. The Cannon
itself is made up of more than two hundred and fifty
hymns, all penitential in character. It was highly
regarded for the learned symbolism with which it
abounds, and for its poetic form. St. Andrew of Crete is
credited with the invention of the Canon form of hymn
composition. St. Andrew of Crete was Archbishop of the
island during the eighth century. After a career in the
great church of Constantinople, where he became famous
for building orphan asylums and taking care of the poor,
he was selected as Archbishop of Gortynia. He
administered his diocese with vigor and was very zealous
for the welfare of his people, who suffered not only
from famine and plague, but from the visits of Arab
marauders as well. He died on July 4, possibly in 740
A.D., while returning home from Constantinople where he
had gone t interest the Court in the plight of the
Cretans. St. Andrew is one of the most famous of the
Byzantine orators and hymnographers Besides the Great
Canon, he wrote several others for penitential year, and
numerous individual hymns as well. His feast day is July
4, the anniversary of his death.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent - The Service
prescribed for the Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent is
that of the Akathistos Hymn, a devotion in honor of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. This Service consists of the
recitation of Little Compline, which is combined a
series of special hymns in honor of Mary. Present custom
is to hold the service on each of the first five Friday
evenings of Lent. The Akathistos Hymn itself is divided
up into four parts, and on each of the first four Friday
evenings a successive part is sung, and on the fifth
Friday evening the whole hymn is performed. The
Akathistos Hymn was composed as an offering of
thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin in the year 626 A.D.
In that year the Persians and Avars attacked the city of
Constantinople and besieged it. The Patriarch Sergius
led the despairing people in a great procession around
the walls of the city, singing and bearing with them
icons of the Lord and His Mother. Strengthened, their
devotion on, and aided by a tempest which sprang up and
wrecked many ships of the fleet drawn up before the
city, the inhabitants sallied forth and put the invaders
to flight. They considered their deliverance all the
more miraculous because the Emperor Heraclius was absent
on a campaign with the major part of his army. In
thanksgiving the people gathered in the great Church of
the Holy Wisdom, and stood the whole night through
singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving. The word "Akathiston"
means "not sitting", and it is still customary for the
congregation to stand while the stanzas of the hymn are
being sung. The Akathistos Hymn is one of the great
devotional compositions of Christian hymnography and has
been translated into many languages. It is often used a
Service of Intercession to the Blessed Virgin, and is
sung in all Greek Orthodox Churches during Lent.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent - On the Fifth Sunday of Lent
is commemorated St. Mary of Egypt, one of the most
famous women penitents of Christian history. Her story
is told in the Menaion, on April 1, her Feast Day. She
is called to remembrance on the Fifth Sunday of Lent as
well, not only because of her ascetic life, but in order
that the example of her repentance may have a salutary
effect on the faithful, and urge them to similar sincere
repentance of their misdoings.
Before Holy Week begins, we celebrate the Saturday of
Lazarus. This commemorates the miracle of Lazarus's
resurrenction by Christ. This miracle was performed as a
preview to His own resurrection which is commemorated on
the following Sunday. The Sunday after the Saturday of
Lazarus, we celebrate Palm Sunday when Christ entered
Jerusalem. Immediately following the Divine Liturgy, the
priest hands out crosses made out of palms. We put these
crosses in our cars or anywhere else we feel we want to
be protected. The traditional food for this day is fish,
just like the following poem states:
Vagia,
vagia ton vagion
trome psari kai kolio
ke tin alli Kiriaki
trome to psito t' arni
Palms, palms on Palm Sunday
we eat fish and mackerel
and the following Sunday
we eat the roasted lamb!
Holy Week
is a period of mourning as we commemorate the Passion of
Jesus Christ. Entertainment is not allowed for the whole
week. The Church has services every night during this
week, and each Service reenacts the events leading to
Easter Sunday. Fasting is strict during this week
especially on Good Friday.
Church Services during Holy Week:
On Sunday
night and on Holy Monday night is the service for Christ
the Bridegroom. The church (faithful) are symbolically
the bride and Christ is the groom. Like the bride and
groom, the church must prepare to unite with Christ, the
bridegroom, for all eternity.
On Holy Tuesday night we commemorate the anointing of
Christ with myrrh by a sinful woman who wet his feet and
dried them with her hair. Christ forgave her for her
sins as an example to us on how to repent and be saved.
The "Kassiani" hymn is sung at this service to honor
this woman.
Holy Wednesday morning is the Liturgy of the
Presanctified Gifts (Proigiasmeni). The same day, in the
evening or night, the church offers the Sacrament of
Holy Unction. During this service, the priest reads
seven gospels, and seven blessings to bless the oil
which will be used to heal the ailments of the body and
soul. At the end of the service, the priest anoints each
parishioner with the oil by making the sign of the cross
on their forehead, cheeks, chin and hands.
On Holy Thursday morning, the Liturgy of St. Basil the
Great is performed. Many receive Holy Communion that
morning. Red eggs are dyed on this day. The color red
symbolizes the blood of Christ which He shed for us on
the Cross. During the evening service, the priest reads
12 Gospels that tell all of Christ's suffering that led
to his Crucifixion. After each Gospel reading, a candle
is lit. After the fifth Gospel is read, the Holy Cross
is taken out of the Altar and carried in a procession
around the church and then placed in the center at the
front of the church, where parishioners come forth and
kiss the body or feet of Christ. After the Service,
women decorate the Epitaphio (funeral bier).
Holy Friday morning is the Service for the reading of
the Holy Hours. In the afternoon the service for the
Descent from the Holy Cross (Apokathilosis) is held,
where the priests takes the body of Christ from the
Cross and places it in the Epitaphio (funeral bier).
After the Apokathilosis, the faithful come forth and
kiss the Epitaphio while the young children walk/crawl
under it three times. In Greece, the faithful go from
Church to Church to kiss the different Epitaphioi. At
night is the Matins of Lamentation (Epitaphios). The
Epitaphios is lifted and taken outside the church in a
procession. In Greece they take the Epitaphio in a
procession through the whole village or town and all the
churches meet and continue on together from there. When
the Epitaphio returns to the Church, each parishioner
enters the church by passing under the Epitaphio.
Another Greek tradition for Good Friday is to drink
vinegar just as Jesus was given vinegar when he said
that he was thirsty.
Holy Saturday morning is the Liturgy of St. Basil the
Great. At night the Service of the Resurrection (Anastasi)
is held. It is customary for the godmother or godfather
to buy an Easter candle for their godchild. Everyone
dresses up in their new outfits and go to Church. A
little before midnight, all the lights in the Church are
turned off. As soon as midnight strikes the priest sings
"Defte Labete Fos" which translates to "Come receive the
light". At that point he comes out of the Altar with a
lit candle and gives the light to the whole congregation
(one member passes is to the next). Then, all the Clergy
and parishioners exit the church. Once outside, the
priest reads the Gospel of the Anastasi and as soon as
he is done everyone sings while making the sign of the
cross with their candles:
"Christos
Anesti ek nekron
thanato thanaton patisas
ke tis en tis mnimasi, zoin xarisamenos"
(Christ has risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death
and granted life to those in tombs)
In Greece,
as soon as the "Christos Anestis" is sung, fireworks are
heard throughout. At this point, the majority of the
congregation leaves church although the Liturgy of St.
John the Chrisostom follows. Everyone greets each other
with "Christos Anesti" (Christ has risen) and respond "Alithos
Anesti" (Truly he has risen". The faithful take their
lit candles home and before entering the house, they
make the sign of the cross above the entryway with the
smoke from the candle. Then they light the kantili and
try to preserve that light for at least three days. Some
keep it for as much as forty days. That night, everyone
eats the traditional Anastasi meal which consists of
mayeritsa (soup made with lamb intestines), tsoureki
(sweet bread), koulourakia, red Easter eggs, etc.
Another tradition is to bump eggs and see whose breaks
first. On the island of Kos, they also eat "lambropittes"
which are basically cheese pies. They make the dough
which they place in a round baking pan and fill it with
a cheese and egg mixture. Then they brush the top with
egg before baking.
On Easter Sunday in many parts of Greece it is
traditional to roast a lamb and also the kokorestsi. The
roasted lamb symbolizes Jesus who sacrificed himself for
our sake.
There is an afternoon Church Service on Easter Sunday.
It is referred to as Great Vespers of Agape. During this
Service, the Gospel is read in all different languages.
For forty days following the Anastasi the Greeks greet
each other with "Christos Anesti" and "Alithos Anesti".
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