Easter was a bit late this year ,but without many weather complications it all went well in Azogires,as the Holy week began the villagers started preparing ,and each one had a diferent chore .
The ladies of the village had to find the brightest and pretiest flowers for dressing the Epitaph -the grave of Jesus on great Friday .All the ladies gather with flowers and wild flowers that they have collected ,all sorts even orange and lemon tree blossoms ,and they fill the grave of Jesus with them ,then comes our priest and places an Icon Of Jesus on the grave ,for people to worship while he starts a very sacred ceremony ,that requires a lot of people preaching the story right out of the Bible books.
He then takes the Holy Bible and leads the crowd who hold on their shoulders the grave of Christ and carrie it around the Church 3 times ,and then they lift it high above the door so all the worshipers can cross under it ,to receve the blessing of Jesus .
The the grave is returned inside the Church The priest retrieves the Icon back to the Altar ,and the villagers take the flowers from the grave home they sun dry them and they use them as insense to burn in their homes in order to illuminate evill and bring joy and prosperity in to their lifes.
The following night all the worshipers gather at the Church to receve the blessing of the Holy flame ,that is brought from Jerusalem by plane to Greece,they follow the priest pnce more around the Church in the same manner as the day before ,while the bells are going ,and then they gather in the courtyard to declare.Jesus has risen from his grave ,and as this is done by blasting tons of firewoks that are prepaired by the young man of the Kriariana neighborhood they go off in to the sky making the night magical ,so magical that people loose track of time,and let their mind body and soul rise on to the sky together with the soul of our saviour Jesus Christ.
Everyone then shakes hands and with each other ,and they talk about Jesus one says Jesus has risen Christos Anesti , and the other says he has trully risen Alithos Anesti.
Afterwards people return to their homes ,or go to the local alfa cafe ,in order to eat the traditionall mageiritsa soup made from sheep and goat intestents and have a glass of wine, this dish puts to an end our fourty day no meat eating campaing called nisteia .and sets us for Easter Sunday . that very same evening the Holy flame is taken to peoples houses , and a cross is made above the doors with the candle smoke to keep disease illness and evil out of our lifes.
And finally comes Easter Sunday, a very Holy day for all Christians who come together with family and friends in their backyards ,in secret mountain positions or just next to the road to cook their lambs eat drink dance and forget all worries yammas to all,,,,,,,, and next year may we all be here to celebrate once more again .
