Celebration of the Easter in Leros
Easter in Leros is one of the biggest holidays of the island as well as of all of Greece. Unlike Christmas, which is the biggest holiday in Western Europe, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Easter with particular splendor. Therefore in Leros, Easter is also impressive with many local customs.
One of the most beautiful Lerian folk events is the way in which the people of Leros secure the coals for the church incense. Using mules and donkeys for transport, the worshipers, decorated with flags and with aprons hanging from the images, proceed in procession, one behind the other. At the same time, they sing:
The Virgin Mary’s vines and the Christ’s wood and Agia Paraskevi’s red candlesticks.
The last job of the parishioners after the process of the vines is to hang Judas who betrayed Christ, who is burned on the night of the Resurrection with “Christ is Risen”.
Week of the Easter
The Easter week in Leros begins from the Saturday of Lazarus with the ringing of the first bell of Orthros and the Divine Liturgy.
After the end of the Divine Liturgy the children receive a blessing from the priest and with the image of Lazarus they go from house to house singing the carols of Lazarus
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday prepares us for Holy Week. After the Liturgy, the faithful return to their homes and place the relics in the iconostasis or hang them behind the door, as a protection against all evil. Palm Sunday is also the day they eat fish.
During Holy Week they decorate candles at the height of a normal person, with flowers and purple or black ribbons, which they light during the services of Holy Week.
On Good Friday, when the Epitaph procession takes place, they are also taken out of the church.
Holy Wednesday.
On the afternoon of Holy Wednesday, the sacrament of the holy Euchelios is celebrated in all the parishes of the island.
Easter Thursday.
A local custom on Maundy Thursday is for the children of the parishes to go out to the fields and the edges of the green hills of the island with flags and banners, singing “Lord have mercy”, to collect “brights” and scatter them in the streets, in the squares of the island and outside the Temples.
From the morning the Leries housewives knead the buns and buns of Lambri and dye the red eggs. On the evening of Maundy Thursday, the Twelve Gospels are read, the Epitaph is decorated with folk local song and the Crucified One is eulogized.
Good Friday
It is a day of absolute holiday and fasting. At 1:00 p.m. at noon, the Epitaphous Lamentation is held at the Panagia of the Castle. The Deposition takes place and the gold-woven representation of the dead Jesus is exhibited in pilgrimage.
At 9:00 in the evening, the procession of the Epitaphs of all the Parishes takes place.
Easter Saturday
At noon at 12:00 p.m. the bells of all the Parishes ring joyfully and everyone gathers in Platanos Square and celebrates the Resurrection.
Shortly before midnight, the lights of the churches go out and the priests sing “Come and receive Light” and everyone is Impressive the noise of the “earthquake” in the parish of Christ on the morning of Holy Saturday, a custom from the years of slavery when the slaves of the conquerors Lerioi , in this way, on this day they were preparing for the National uprising.
Easter Sunday
On the morning of Easter Sunday, in the Church of the Annunciation, the Resurrection Gospel is heard in various languages, wishes are given and red eggs are distributed, which are kept in the iconostasis until they are replaced with new ones.
