Traditional Greece – Easter on the island of Zakynthos
Get to know the Greek history and experience unique moments of Orthodox Easter on the beautiful island of Zakynthos
Easter is the biggest holiday for Orthodox Christians. Celebrated in every region of the country, but on the Greek islands these holy days are even more special. Each island contributes, in those days, with its beauty and exceptional culinary delights and turns it into a great experience.
Something very special: Moments of Holy Week on the island of Zakynthos.
From the morning of Holy Thursday, in every church of the island, the divine liturgy takes place. After the liturgy, the bells silence on the island until the morning of Holy Saturday. They mourn, to put it in the words of Zakynthos. But not only the church bells mourn. Everyone grieves. Black robes hanging from the balconies of the houses, the flags fluttering at half mast, even the clothes of the elderly citizens of Zakynthos reflect this grief.
On Good Friday the excitement on the island is very large. The entire action of the island is dominated by the divine drama. Early morning is the Service of the Great Hours. After the procession the body of Christ is placed on the Epitaph. The Epitaph is typically a cloth which is sewn a variation of the image of lament the tomb. On the afternoon of Good Friday at around 14:00 people gather around the church of St. Nicholas, from which starts the unique procession of crucifixion. The bishop, priests and deacons wear black robes. Emotion penetrates and captures every soul in Zakynthos. The sad and celebratory procession begins with the sounds of the band. The procession crosses almost the entire city and returns to Solomos Square, where the Bishop blesses the people.
On the night of Holy Saturday at 23:15 the procession begins at the cathedral which in the meantime has changed completely: now it is decorated entirely in red. 24:00: “Christ has risen” is heard from the mouth of the Bishop, and this message goes from mouth to mouth throughout Zakynthos, and so begins the great feast.
According to local tradition, the Liturgy of the Resurrection is not performed immediately after the church in every city and village, but on the morning of Easter Sunday.
Itinerary:
Day 1: FLIGHT TO ATHENS
Arrival in Athens, welcome by our guide and transfer to our hotel in Athens Nea Makri for a night. Distribution of rooms, dinner and overnight stay in Athens.
Day 2:ATHENS, CANAL OF CORINTH, ANCIENT CORINTH, TOLO
After breakfast we go to the Corinth Canal (global reputation and built at the turn of the last century as an artificial joint between the Saronic Gulf and the Gulf of Corinth) 15 minutes break for photos. We continue our journey to ancient Corinth. Here we have a guided tour of the archaeological sites, the market, the church and the museum. At noon we arrive at Tolo. Tolo is a small town by the sea; An ideal place for an excursion to the Peloponnese. Free time for the afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay in Tolo.
Day 3:EPIDAURUS, MYCENAE, OLYMPIA
After breakfast we go to Epidaurus. We pass by vineyards and old olive trees until we arrive at Epidaurus, the place of worship and treatment centre of Asklepius. Visit the museum and theater, famous for its acoustics. Many summer festivals take place here (Epidaurus Festival). Continue to Mycenae. Visit the well-preserved cyclopean walls, the royal tombs and the great Lion Gate, the oldest record of monumental sculpture in Europe. Here the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began in 1874 with his excavation and discovered the royal tombs of Atreus and the vast treasures. In the afternoon we continue to Olympia. Distribution of rooms, dinner and overnight stay in Olympia.
Day 4:OLYMPIA, KYLLINI, ZAKYNTHOS
After breakfast, we tour the ancient site of Olympia and the remnants of the once huge temple of Zeus, the oldest temple of Hera, the workshop of the famous sculptor Phidias and sports facilities (Olympic Stadium). Our journey continues to Kyllini and then take the ferry to Zakynthos. Check in at Zakynthos and transfer to our hotel for 4 nights. Distribution of rooms and accommodation in Zakynthos.
Day 5:GOOD FRIDAY, STONE PARK, CHURCH OF AGIOS DIONYSIOS, EPITAFIOS
After breakfast we will visit a particular park in Zakynthos, stone park. In Askos stone park there are about 17,000 plants, shrubs and trees, which are naturally occuring and planted by mother nature. At the same time you will encounter many animals living freely in their natural environment. Hawks, mammals, many species of birds, amphibians, insects and all other native animals.
After lunch we will visit the church of Agios Dionysios, the patron saint of the island. This church is the largest in the city, it is located on the beach across the harbor. The construction of the church lasted from 1925 to 1948. The architect A. Orlandos created designs for the construction of the church. The steeple is much like the church of San Marco in Venice. Also noteworthy is the decorated with wood and gold space (the tomb of the Saint) that thousands of pilgrims visit every year. Most of the paintings show the life of St. Dionysius.
After dinner we go to church together and we participate in the ceremony “Epitaph” with a candlelight procession through the city. Good Friday starts very early in the morning the decoration of the “Epitaph” the coffin of Christ, if not on Thursday evening after the liturgy until the early hours. Everybody brings flowers to the churches, which are placed around the “Epitaph”. Later, flowers are distributed and placed on the icon until the next Greek Easter. The evening after the main function, the Epitaph is transferred throughout the whole region (litaneia). When returning to the church transporters lower the epitaph at the entrance and everyone must pass below it to enter the church, to show humility and to receive holy blessing. Return to hotel.
Day 6:GOOD SATURDAY, MONASTERY ANAFONITRIA, RESURRECTION
After breakfast we will visit the Monastery Anafonitria. The monastery was built in the 15th century. It is located in the area of Plemonariou North West of the island. It is 25km away from the town of Zakynthos. It is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest worth seeing. In the monastery there is a picture of the Virgin of “Anafonitria” which came in 1453 from Istanbul.
The monastery is visited each year thousands of pilgrims. In it lived Saint Dionysus. Here he forgave the murderer of his brother.
At 23:30 we go to church. Here we will participate in the Liturgy of the Resurrection. We will celebrate with the locals the Resurrection of Christ. At midnight the people will receive the famous Light of Easter. Together they will sing “Christ has Risen” Psalm of the Resurrection, then go to the hotel and eat the traditional soup “Mageiritsa” and the Easter dessert “Tsoureki”. This ends the fasting. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 7:SUNDAY OF EASTER, FEAST
After breakfast around 9:00 begins the preparation for the Passover lamb on the spit. Anyone who has an appetite (and anyone who woke up after the night of the Resurrection or is still awake) can help in this “difficult” job rotation of lamb over the hot coals. At approximately 14:00 the paschal lamb meal starts that lasts until the evening meat, salads, various wines etc. Of course there has to be dance too! Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 8:ZAKYNTHOS, KYLLINI, DELPHI
After breakfast we leave from Zakynthos and go by ferry to Kyllini. Check in at Kyllini and then for Delphi. Distribution of rooms and dinner at Delphi.
Day 9:DELPHI, OSIOS LUCAS, ATHENS
After breakfast we will visit Delphi. This place owes its fame to the oracle. We will visit the Temple of Apollo, the treasure of the Athenians, theater, stage and museum with its famous bronze charioteer. After lunch we continue to the Monastery of Osios Lucas with a tour in the monastery church, one of the most important examples of construction and art of the mosaic of the 11th century. In the evening we go to Athens. Dinner and overnight stay in Athens.
DAY 10:ATHENS, TOUR OF THE CITY, ACROPOLIS, PLAKA
After breakfast we will visit the Sunday liturgy in Athens. Then we will go drive to Omonia and then to Syntagma Square, passing the Panathenaicos Stadium (break for photos), which in 1896 held the first modern Olympics, the Royal Palace, the Temple of Zeus, the Acropolis. Tour the Propylaea, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Nike and the Parthenon. Then go to University Street, passing by the house of Schliemann, the Academy and the University. The afternoon is free in Athens. In the evening we return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay in Athens.
Day 11:RETURN FLIGHT FOR YOUR POINT OF ORIGIN
After breakfast, transfer to Athens airport and return home.
