Traditions

Greek Easter is not like any Easter you have experienced before. Forget chocolate eggs and Sunday brunch. This is a week-long build-up of fasting, candlelit processions through darkened streets, a midnight Resurrection service that erupts in fireworks and church bells, and then a Sunday feast centered around a whole lamb turning slowly on a spit while families gather on balconies and in parks across the city. It is the most important celebration in the Greek calendar — bigger than Christmas, more emotional than New Year’s, and one of those rare cultural moments that genuinely moves people who witness it, whether they’re Greek or not.