|
Post by daveh on Feb 12, 2017 10:52:54 GMT 2
This thread is too give you and run up to Easter in Roda and Sfakera and the events taking place. Easter falls the same time as the UK this year, Easter Sunday being 16th April.
This week we have Burnt Thursday which is the time Lent begins. Many here, especially the older, observe Lent and will avoid meat until Easter Sunday. In view of this they have a large meat meal the day before fasting begins. In Sfakera there is a bouzouki night on Thursday, they are having pork and lamb chops on the menu as well as grilled meats.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 15, 2017 9:09:27 GMT 2
An update and correction on the original post. Lead up to Easter in fact began on 5th February this year with the start of Apokries. This is when the opening of the book of the Triodion takes place (the 3 Holy sacrements).
Thurday 16th is the beginning of Tsiknopempti which marks the final week of meat eating until after Lent. Often known as meat week. Tsikna is the smell of burning meat. Custom for everyone to charcoal grill meat, melt fat over so the smell of 'burning' meat spreads over the village. Nowdays many go to the taverna for this meal and it is accompanied by live music. Others will head to grill rooms. In Roda the grills and Drosia will be busy.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 17, 2017 14:22:06 GMT 2
The Tsiknopempti bouzouki night was a great one going on well past 3am, the were several such nites around Roda and the nightclub was open.
Tsiknopempti starts the 2 weeks of Carnival, in the style of Venice. Various events, parades, music, dance, theatre take place in town and the larger villages. It ends with the King Carnival parade on 26th February.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 19, 2017 10:14:53 GMT 2
Posters are up in Roda today, some damaged by last nights storm, advertising a Carnival in Nymphes on the 26th February.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 22, 2017 9:12:05 GMT 2
This weekend is the big Carnival in Town, called the Sior Carnival with the parade starting at 12.30 both Saturday and Sunday.
Nymphes Carnival starts at 4pm on Sunday.
There are also Carnival parades in Karousades and Avliotes in the northwest of the Island plus many others in the larger villages around the Island.
To celebrate Carnival and fact that Sunday is last day to eat meat before Lent there is a bouzouki night in Sfakera on Saturday as well as the usual weekly one at Arabas in Roda.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 23, 2017 10:27:18 GMT 2
We are now in period known as cheesefare being the last few days when dairy products can be eaten before Lent. Most nights vespers in church, with matins in the mornings. This is last week of Triodion leading up to the fouth and final Sunday of the period, Forgiveness Sunday or Cheesefare Sunday.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 26, 2017 12:16:51 GMT 2
Today is Forgiveness Sunday the last day of Apokries which began back on 5th February with the opening of book of the Triodion. Yesterday was the last day to get married in Church until after the end of Lent, in fact old tradition says any marriage on the last day will be an unhappy one! Although Carnival worldwide ends Shrove Tuesday (also called Mardi Gras, that day is not celebrated by Eastern Orthodox so this weekend is the end of Carnival with many larger villages having Carnival today as well as Corfu Town. More of that later.
|
|
kaz
Roda Anorak
Posts: 3,961
|
Post by kaz on Feb 26, 2017 12:58:10 GMT 2
Very interesting daveh, thanks
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 26, 2017 18:58:14 GMT 2
Well it is grey but with warm winds 19c so Carnival went ahead. Just as i was readying to leave for Nymphes i could hear music, car horns. Shortly the procession of floats, pulled by tractor or 4x4 came into sight and slowly drove past before turning into Sfakera village. Noisey, happy groups dressed in an array of costumes with different themes, playing music, talking through loud hailers. At the end as i predicted was a 15 foot high Donald Trump who clearly was the effigy for the later bonfire. The noise spooked my young dogs who hid in back garden before hiding under bed in house, i stayed to calm them rather than drive to Nymphes content with having seen the floats. Just as the dogs were venturing back outside, 90 minutes or so later the floats returned on the way back and the dogs retreated indoors to hide. At 6.40pm a shower arrived but at least Carnival parades had been completed. Hope the rain clears away for Clean Monday tomorrow which sadly has been affected by poor weather most years recently.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 27, 2017 10:10:06 GMT 2
Clean Monday is today and the weather looks fine. Here locals believe it signals the start of spring and it is the start of Lent in the eastern Orthodox Church. Known in Greek as Kathara Deftera.
For the religious observers fasting starts, no meat, fish, eggs, dairy or even oil.
It is a Bank Holiday and it is traditional in Corfu for families to picnic, either on the beach or in the hills, and for the children to fly kites.
The Lenten picnic included vegetables, pulses, greens (hence sometimes called Green Monday), octopus, cuttlefish, squid, prawns and mussels. Accompanied with pickles, taramasalata and the special lenten bread baked this day only called Lagana, large and round and flat like a foucaccia topped with sesame seeds, nice both warm straight from the bakers or cold with picnic.
The fast continues until Easter Sunday. Greeks have 2 breaks in the fast, the traditional one on Palm Sunday but also one on 25th March to celebrate Independence Day.
In the village taverna in Sfakera today they are only serving octopus, squid, cuttlefish, prawns and mussels with the Lagana. The same will be elsewhere in tavernas.
|
|
|
Post by artisans on Feb 28, 2017 1:36:36 GMT 2
Lagana is lovely and, although it’s normally only made at this time of year, there is a very old traditional baker in Corfu Town who makes it throughout the year.
Steve
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 28, 2017 8:51:56 GMT 2
Today is Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras or pancake day not observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. For the Christian and Catholic church it is a movable day 7 weeks prior to Easter Monday. Shrove derives from the word shrive, meaning absolve as it is last day for 'fat eating ' before their Lent. Traditionally people eat pancakes and in many countries there are Carnivals.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Feb 28, 2017 9:17:31 GMT 2
Looking back on Clean Monday, glorious sunshine this year and slight breeze ideal for kite flying. Many families out for lunch rather than picnic, Drosia was packed, the coffee shops full as many were also out walking. Others ventured to Acharavi where some Tavernas, such as Lemon Garden, opened for the day. The open bars in Roda, Tropicana, Nemos, Oscars and Pirates were all busy. There were a few family groups picnicking on the beach, one group using the shelter at the taxi rank to lay out their food.
Back in the village, To Neon, was also with families having a Lenten meal.o
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Mar 1, 2017 10:45:07 GMT 2
Today is Ash Wednesday but again there are no special significance in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Catholic Church after mass, whilst up near the alter, the Priest puts a cross of ash on your forehead.The ash comes from the burning of the palm leaves used the previous Palm Sunday. This blessing, you are not meant to wash the ash away, is followed by all observing Catholics.
For the Christian and Catholic faiths today is the beginning of Lent.
|
|
|
Post by daveh on Mar 8, 2017 18:54:48 GMT 2
Each Sunday during Lent is named, last Sunday was Orthodox Sunday, this coming sunday is St. Gregory Palamas Sunday.
|
|