Being a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation, Easter is the holiest day of the year in Greece. Cities and towns all over Greece have weeks of festivities leading up to Easter, as well as celebrations after the holiday. Apokreas is the Carnival season in Greece before Easter, and the celebration after Easter is known as Agios Pnevmatos. Here is what you can expect to see at the Greek celebrations before and after Easter.
Apokreas
The 3-week celebratory period before Easter in Greece is called Apokreas, or Greek Carnival. Like Carnival season in New Orleans, Brazil and some Caribbean islands, Apokreas (or Apokries) is a festive time, full of singing and dancing, eating and drinking, and lots of celebrating before the sober period of Lent. Apokreas loosely translates to “without meat,” referring to the forty days of Lent where many devout Christians abstain from eating meat or drinking alcohol. The roots of the Apokreas festivities date back to ancient Greece, to celebrate Dionysus, the ancient god of revelry and resurrection, as well as the coming of spring.
Today, Apokreas is one of the biggest Greek celebrations and is colorful, noisy, and centered around meat. Apokreas is a moveable feast, meaning the dates vary depending on what date Easter falls. The first week of Apokreas is marked with the opening of the Triodion Book, a ceremonial book with hymns and prayers. There is no fasting during the first week of Apokreas; revelers are encouraged to eat as much as they want. The second week of Apokreas is Kreatini week, which is the last week for eating meat until Easter. Kreatini is a meat-eating free-for-all, and the Thursday of this week is called Tsiknopempti, or Smoky Thursday. Tsiknopempti marks the official start to festivities and celebrations, with street parties, parades and masquerades and all types of grilled, barbecued and smoked meats are eaten in excess.
The third and final week of Apokreas is known as “cheese week,” when many Greeks eat mostly dairy food and avoid eating meat. The week ends on Cheese Sunday, or Tirini, which is the grand finale of the Greek Carnival celebrations. Tirini is the feast before the fast– the last day before the 40 days of Lent begins. The first day of Lent is Kathera Deuftera, or Clean Monday, and the traditional foods eaten are shellfish, octopus, and beans. Clean Monday marks the beginning of spring and many families can be found outside enjoying the weather and flying kites. Kite-flying is symbolic for a way of people to communicate with God. One of the most famous places to fly kites on Clean Monday is in Athens on Filopappou Hill, overlooking the Acropolis.
Agios Pnevmatos
Agios Pnevmatos is the Greek celebration 40 days after Easter. Agios Pnevmatos means “Holy Spirit” and the holiday takes place on a 3-day weekend, similar to Memorial Day in the U.S. The feast of Agios Pnevmatos is one of the biggest holidays in the summer in Greece, when many families travel to the Greek islands and enjoy the sun and weather. If you are traveling to the Greek isles during Agios Pnevmatos, be sure to book in advance as the islands and ferries get filled quickly.
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