Easter Special 2010, Corfu

Transcription

1 Easter Special 2010, Corfu

2 The celebra*on of Greek Orthodox Easter in Corfu is a unique experience, par*cularly impressive for anyone who visits this beau*ful island. It is a huge fes*val, in which various components come together harmoniously, the Orthodox Chris*an faith, pagan tradi*ons, customs and tradi*on that started centuries ago, the Vene*an influence, the music of the numberus philharmonic bands of the island. The most famous tradi*on is taking place all over the Island, in the Holy Saturday at 11 a.m. when the first bell of the First Resurrec*on is heard. At that *me local people throw pots out of their windows, smashing them onto the streets. Those special made ceramic pots, called "bo*des" can be more than 1 meter tall and they are filled with water to make a louder crash. The noisy custom lasts for 3 5 minutes and is watched by thousands of people, mostly tourists, as Corfu is the most popular des*na*on in Greece for Easter holidays.

3 Early on Palm Sunday morning, the holy relic of Saint Spyridon, the island's patrol saint, is carried in procession. The custom dates back to 1630 and it is connected to the deliverance of the island in 1629 from a deadly plague. The procession sets back from the church of Saint Spyridon and follows the old vene*an walls of the town. On Holy Monday the women of Corfu make "mandolata", which is a kind of sweet, columbines a type of bread of vene*an origin and fogatsa, which tastes like brioche. On Holy Wednesday the Municipal Choir gives a concert of ecclesias*cal music at the Municipal Theatre. This tradi*on was established in 1989 with the aim of approaching the Holy Drama through the music of both the Eastern and the Western Church. A nice idea for Holy Thursday might be to azend the Service of the Twelve Gospels at the Duomo, the Catholic Cathedral in the Town Hall Square, where they light twelve candles and ex*nguish them one by one as the reading of each gospel is completed. One custom which today has disappeared is that of Holy Thursday, which was preserved by women in the countryside un*l recently. The women would azend the church service, and while the priest was chan*ng the ritual of the Twelve Apostles, they would knit a piece of thread with their fingers. They would place the lizle charm thus made around the wrist of a baby to ensure that God would protect it.

4 Good Friday is the day of the Epitaphios, the funeral of Christ. All over the island, as all over Greece, every church brings out its own funeral bier and parades it around the parish. In Corfu however, the azendant philharmonic orchestras and choirs, the presence of thousands of Corfiots as well as foreign visitors, give another dimension to the gravity of the occasion. It is worth no*ng that the Old Philharmonic Orchestra (in red uniform) play Albinoni's 'Adagio', the Mantzaros Orchestra (in blue) Verdi's 'Marcia Funebre', and the Kapodistrias Orchestra the 'Elegia Funebre', Mariana's 'Sventura' and Chopin's 'Funeral March'. The town processions start in the a_ernoon to give the orchestras *me to escort them all. As the hours pass, the processions become thicker on the ground, un*l they all converge on each other and people don't know which way to look first. The first epitaphios leaves the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Spilio*ssa in the New Fortress and the Church of Pantokrator in Kampielo at two in the a_ernoon, and other churches follow, un*l ten in the evening sees the exit of the Epitaphios from the Orthodox Cathedral.

5 On Holy Saturday, at 6 a.m. in the morning, the custom of 'the earthquake' is carried out at the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Strangers. This is a re enactment of the earthquake which took place a_er the Resurrec*on, as described in the Bible. Later, at 9 a.m., the procession of Saint Spyridon, which was consecrated in 1550 when the Saint saved the island from famine, takes place. The Saint shares the stage with the Epitaphios of his own church, a custom which was established during Vene*an *mes when, for reasons of security, epitaphios processions were forbidden, whereas the procession of the Saint was permized to take place. The accompanying orchestras play Michelli's 'Calde Lacrime', Faccio's "Hamlet' and Beethoven's Funeral March. At 11 a.m. the First Resurrec*on and the 'Pot Throwing' custom take place, and the local people throw pots out of their windows, smashing them onto the streets below. This noisy custom, origina*ng with the Vene*ans, began in the town and spread to the villages. The Vene*ans used to throw all their old and useless objects out of the window on January 1st each year, so that the New Year might bring them new ones.

6 You stay in a 6-Bedroom Seafront Luxury Villa Services Included Private Chef Domes*c Staff Welcome Food Hamper Welcome Champagne Recep*on Daily Maid Luxury Toiletries Facili0es Private Heated Pool Gym Jacuzzi Sat TV include BBC, CNN, MTV, Bloomberg, Sports & Movies Plasma HD with Home Cinema Wifi Internet Access, Printer / Fax Air condi*oned in all bedrooms

7 Easter Sunday Menu Prepared by your private chef at the villa!! Spinach Pie Sweet Pumpkin Pie Cheese Pie Variety of Greek Cheeses Greek Salad Rocket with Tomato & Parmesan Aubergine Salad Tzatziki Potato Salad Red Eggs Roast Sausages Lamb on the Spit Tradi*onal Greek Meat Delicacy Kokoretsi Fresh Seasonal Fruits Variety of Tradi*onal Sweets

8 GreekLuxuryVillas.com Villa Le<i Thea Corfu Special Offer: Easter 2010 Only 500 per day!! Minimum Stay: 5 Days Daily Rate: 500 Enquiries: info@greekluxuryvillas.com Tel: Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday is on 4th of April 2010 More about this villa: hzp:// leli thea.php More about Greek Orthodox Easter on Corfu: hzp:// hzp://