My Greek Orthodox Easter by Aryetta Koutsogiannis ’23
Growing up Greek Orthodox, my mother often stressed the importance of Lent. She believed that we can strengthen our relationship with God through fasting. Maybe I was too young to truly see how this could be, but as the time passes, you stray away from the path. Lent helps us to get back onto that path. In Orthodoxy, we fast for 40 days from meat and dairy, starting on the first day of Lent. It is only until the clock hits 12:00 on Easter morning that we can indulge in that which we restricted ourselves from, especially lamb.
An Easter tradition in my family is going to my grandmother’s house late at night. We wait there until around 11:45 and then walk to the church right around the corner from her
house. With us, we bring our ”lambadas,” a Greek term for a candle gifted to you from your godfather and godmother. As 12:00 strikes, the priests chant “Christ Has Risen” (in Greek, of course), and the people recite back, “Truly He Has Risen,” all while passing around the “fos” or “light” from candle to candle. When we get back to her house, my grandmother has lamb stew ready. My family and I then enjoy a late-night meal, finally breaking our fasts together.