Ka-LO PA-ska = Happy Easter

Easter in Greece begins with a carnival called Apokreas with famous Goat dances.

During Apokreas, people dress up in costumes, buy plastic clubs that squeak, and throw confetti.

There are church services everyday celebrating the last week in the life of Jesus.

Apokreas includes a meat and cheese week.

Greeks fast on Clean Monday, which is a day for spending time with friends and family, going to the countryside and flying kites.

Most people eat a traditional bowl of margeritsa, a thick green soup made from the intestines of the lamb that will be roasted the next day, breaking their 40 day fast at the end of Apokreas.

The market has thousands of lambs of all sizes

Hard-boiled eggs are dyed red, signifying the blood of Christ, and the Easter bread, called tsoureki, is baked.

Each person takes one egg and hits their end against someone else's until the last person who has an un-cracked egg is considered the lucky person for the year.

A large picture of Jesus on the cross is hung for all to see.

On Friday, the nails holding the picture of Christ are knocked off and the picture is taken down from the cross and wrapped in a white cloth.

A large piece of cloth, with the image of Christ, called the epitaphios is decorated and brought into the church where it is sprinkled with rose-water and flower petals are thrown on it.

On Saturday, the door of Christ’s tomb are opened and the Holy Fire is flown to Greece. The light is brought to churches all over the rest of Greece.

The bells of the church begin to ring and all the flags in Greece are lowered to half-mast. Fireworks go off at midnight.

-Easter Sunday is most people's favorite day of the year. A lamb is roasted and friends and families get together to eat, drink, talk and dance. -Many go to the countryside where they make wreaths and walk. Wildflowers are in bloom and the hillsides are green from the winter rains.

Easter in Greece is one of the most beautiful and holiest times in Greece.

Ka-LO PA-ska=Happy Easter