My Greek Travel

The celebration of Easter in the Greek island of Corfu is a unique and different from anywhere else in Greece. For this reason many Greeks like this island and went there to celebrate the Easter.

Photographer: Gavin Gilmour

The Easter in Corfu is a huge festival celebretion and is part of the island’s cultural inheritance

The Great Friday

On Great Friday is the day of the Epitaphios as I said in my previous post about the Greek Easter. The ceremony of the “Deposition from the Cross” takes place and at noon of the same day in all churches.

At Great Friday we have the people parades the Epitaphios around the neighborhood and parish. In Corfu you will see also the philharmonic orchestra, choirs and thousands Corfiots as well as foreign visitors.

The Great Saturday

On Great Saturday at 11 a.m. the First Resurrection and the Pot Throwlng take place, and the people throw pots out of windows, smashing them onto the street. This happen only in Corfu, you will not see it anywhere else in Greece and originating by the Venetians. The local people throw pots out of their windows, smashing them onto the streets below.

In the evening, before the Orthodox ceremony takes place, you may attend the Catholic service at the Duomo Cathedral. With the participation of all Church officials, the Resurrection service finishes here at 11 pm.

On Resurrection at midnight you can see many fireworks in sky. After Resucrection the Lenten finnish so the people go to their homes to eat the chilihourda (the local Easter soup), fogatsa, columbines, many red eggs and wine.

The Sunday of Easter

Easter Sunday at 7 a.m. on Easter Sunday morning, people go to churches and then they went out in central streets for the parade of an icon of the Resurrection until the 10 a.m.

They crack red-dyed eggs one agaínst another as in other Greece but they stick the egg shells on doors, or throw it into the garden, to bless the harvest.