5 Reasons Why Everyone Loves Greek Easter
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It’s true that for Greeks, Easter is the biggest holiday of the year. Preceded by a period of fasting for Lent and Holy Week, Easter is a wonderful celebration that brings people together. Sure, there is the religious side of things, but there are also many fun traditions that go along with it. These traditions are typically enjoyed with all your friends and loved ones! Here are some great reasons why everyone loves Greek Easter:
Fun Easter Traditions
There are so many fun Greek Easter Traditions to enjoy that you won’t want to miss. Some of our favorites are eating a traditional meal after the Holy Saturday evening service that takes place after church. This is often quite the feast, and includes all of our favorite Easter dishes, such as lamb, Greek Easter bread, and other dishes like moussaka and pastitsio.
Eating Lamb
Even if you don’t eat lamb at the early meal, you’ll definitely want it later on in the day. The best way to prepare this is to roast it whole on a spit. It’s true that not everyone does this, but when you are able to have a whole-roasted lamb at Easter, it’s a real treat. It is an amazing way to enjoy the lamb. Granted, you can also prepare lamb other ways, such as leg of lamb, but the most traditional is to roast a whole lamb. It is a great addition to any Easter meal!
Red Easter Eggs
Dying Easter eggs red is a great tradition. Greek Orthodox Christians dye red eggs because it represents the body and blood of Christ. Not only that, but it is fun to dye them with the whole family. On Easter Day, you can play the traditional game of cracking the ends of the eggs together. The person whose egg is still intact after playing the game “wins” good luck for a year.
Tsoureki – Greek Easter Bread
Greek Easter bread, also known as Tsoureki, is present on every table. This bread is a cake-like and sweet and made with milk, sugar, butter, and a special spice known as mahlepi. Some recipes call for cinnamon rather than that spice, which can be difficult to find, but the versions that include mahlepi are the most traditional. The loaves are braided and a red Easter egg or two are usually baked into the top.
Eating the Easter Meal
What do you serve at your Greek Easter meal? Different families have their own traditions, but there are some things that are common. These include lamb, Greek Easter bread, magaritsa soup, and Koulourakia, sometimes referred to as Greek Easter cookies. These are cookies that are eaten year round, but they always find their way on the Easter table, and it doesn’t seem to be Greek Easter without them.
While celebrating Greek Easter, consider enjoying some of these amazing traditions!
Categorized in: Greek Easter Traditions, Modern Greek History
This post was written by Greek Boston
