Easter

The first of the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday is upon us and for those who have been fasting over Lent, the end is in sight. For others, Monday in this Great and Holy Week has another meaning. For...

The "barbaric custom" of roasting a lamb on the spit at Easter should stop, famous Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis has said. Theodorakis, a high-profile figure in Greece and abroad, was writing on his blog about animal cruelty after video emerged...

The Greek Welfare Center of Australia is helping Greek Australians in need by coordinating a food, clothing, and toy drive for Greek Australian families struggling at this time of year. Whether you're a person of faith or not this season...

For Greek Orthodox Christians, Clean Monday marks the beginning of the 40-day fast before Easter; tradition dictates that the faithful start abstaining from eating animal products and fly a kite. Clean Monday is a cleansing of the body in preparation...

Even though Greeks consume a lot of meat, this Thursday millions will follow the custom of Tsiknopempti and eat even more. Enough, tradition says, to last them through the 40 days of Lent before Easter. On Thursday, barbecue smoke will...

The rocket war of Chios has been taking place on the Greek island for more than 200 hundred years. One of the most beautiful Easter spectacles in Greece is also a dangerous one, and many locals are opposed to the "war"...

Dozens of Greeks on Sunday protested silently the slaughtering of lambs for Easter on Ermou Street in Athens. The activists were silent and stood in the capital's main shopping street holding placards with written messages on pictures of lambs. The messages...

On Holy Tuesday during the Great and Holy week leading up to Easter, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the holy gospel which refers to Christ’s denunciation against the religious leaders of Israel, the Secretaries and the Pharisees and also commemorates the...

Today, Thursday, "Tsiknopempti" is here and all over Greece everyone is eating meat. Tsiknopempti marks the official start of the carnival festivities. The day is celebrated on a Thursday and consists of the words "tsikna" (smell of meat on the...

The Greek Jewish community is incensed by websites and brochures of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) that showcase the traditional Easter practice known as "Judas burning." The time-honored "scapegoating" ritual burns an effigy of Judas Iscariot to rid the...