For any Greek and Spaniard, Easter is one of the most revered and religious holidays, the other two are: the Day of the Holy Virgin and Christmas.
The week before Easter, the Greeks call Great or Great. Accordingly, every day – Great (Big) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. Greek churches hold services, the main ones are attended on Friday, the day when Jesus Christ was crucified and on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
Spaniards also have a number of traditional rituals associated with church holidays and revealing the cultural identity of the country.
Greek traditions
The Greeks try to keep a fast throughout the week, and on Friday many of them completely refuse to eat. Seafood mussels, shrimp, squid are considered lean and they are also consumed during the entire fast.
For the Greeks, Friday is a very difficult day of the Great Week and the beginning of the weekend. Besides the fact that people limit themselves in food, they do not work and go to church. In the evening, everyone goes to church for the epitaph. The service begins with a procession, when the Greeks carry the icon and the coffin of the Lord God around the city. It is completely made of flowers. All this lasts about an hour, then everyone returns to the church. The Holy Sepulchre is placed in the church gate and people pass over it, receiving a blessing.
On Saturday, the festive mood increases. From the very morning, Greek housewives prepare traditional dishes, bake tsureks, and color eggs. In the evening, people gather again at the church, a service is held and at midnight Greece begins to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. At the same moment, the Greek youth burns an effigy of Judas, this is a kind of folk tradition. Without waiting for the morning, everyone starts celebrating. Everyone gathers in a family circle, eats, beats eggs, has fun. At Easter, all Greeks traditionally cook lamb or goat meat on a spit, coconut, liver and lungs, and giblet soup. On Sunday night, after church, they eat magiritsa. And from early morning, on each site, lamb is cooked on a spit. This is how Easter is celebrated in Greece.
Spanish traditions.
On the territory of Spain, Easter is commonly called the Holy Week. Spaniards are not working all week until Easter Sunday and are preparing for the upcoming holiday. A special love for carnivals and fiesta in this country makes the celebration unforgettable and enchanting. According to the reports of travel agencies, tours to Spain are in maximum demand just during the Easter celebrations.
Due to the diverse historical development of the country's regions, the holiday process proceeds in a special way in different cities. For example, the celebrations of the Holy Seven Days or, otherwise called the week of Cartagena, the southern side of the country, begin first. At four in the morning at dawn on Friday, the procession to the glory of Cartagena begins.
Each of the seven days carries its own meaning and cultural value, as well as is accompanied by mass celebrations and parades.
Fasting lasts all week, during which you can not eat animal food. The celebration ends, as in all countries on Sunday.
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