The Journey to Pascha
“Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!”
Lamb on a spit, blood-red eggs, church. Eating to our stomach’s content, dancing until our feet bleed, celebrating until the sun comes up, and worshipping the same as our ancestors did for centuries. This is the gist of Orthodox Easter.
We wake up at the crack of dawn on Sunday after being up all night long to put the lamb on the spit in anticipation for the celebration the same afternoon. We spend as much time at church as the priest, attending up to sixteen different services in a one-week period. We fast for 40 days from meat and cheese.
This is what I’ve grown up with in the last 20 years. Other than Christmas, Easter (“Pascha”) is the most important feast day in the church. We often don’t think about it, but the start of Great Lent to Pascha is a period of about 65 days, one-sixth of the calendar year.
There aren’t words in the English language that can describe what it means to participate in such as spiritual time in the church. Nothing can fathom the feeling of the church when the church is lit solely by candles and prayers are being read by candle light at a Bridegroom service.
Or when it is approaching midnight and the lights are being turned off in anticipation for the Anastasi; when you see nothing but the halos of the Byzantine icons light up the church.
The feeling of anticipation a young child feels when it is their first Anastasi service is unlike any other feeling in the world; you get to feel the glory of Pascha first hand when you receive the light that is passed throughout the church and “Christos Anesti” is sung.
I’ve experienced it all — the lengthy services, the abundant feasting at 3 a.m., dying eggs. It’s been part of my Greek upbringing, something I try to share with the world, but can never successfully do it.
I want you to see the services and Byzantine iconography like I see it and hear the chanting and hymns like I hear it. I want to share this part of my life as it is an essential part of who I am and how I’ve grown up, so maybe you can see what all the hype is about.
The First 40 Days
Depending on when Pascha is depends on when Lent starts. Lent begins with what is known as “Clean Monday.” Clean Monday marks when fasting begins. Fasting during Lent is something that should be followed rather rigorously in the church, but is individual to each person and how they choose to honor the fast. For me, part of fasting was giving up my biggest food weakness, which happened to be anything to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Fasting in Orthodoxy differs from the Catholic church in that we are expected to give up meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine and oil, whereas in the Catholic church, they give up one thing, either food related or something else.
Tamsen Todd, a convert to the Orthodox religion at an early age, and a close friend, notes that you “don’t just pick one thing to give up” and that with Orthodoxy, fasting allows you more time with prayer and with building a relationship with God.
“Fasting is saying no to yourself, denying yourself in the physical realm in order to focus on God.”
-Fr. Lou Christopulos
Fasting is a very personal element of Lent. As are praying and almsgiving, the other two key elements of Lent. Lent is a period of self-reflection, a period where you critically look at yourself, examine both the good and the bad. The other two components (prayer and almsgiving) divert attention from yourself and placing it on God and others.
According to Deacon Mark O’Dell from St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, it is helpful to start small and to do something that reminds you of God’s presence, whether it be praying or reading the scripture readings on a daily basis to practice prayer and almsgiving on a daily basis.
“The purpose of Lent is repentance, which comes from the Greek word ‘μετανοια’ (metania). It is an attitude change, with the focus shifting from ourselves to God and should be looked at in a positive way,” says Fr. Lou.
The idea of repentance ties into a very essential teaching tool during Great Lent: The Ladder of Divine Ascent. The Ladder is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent for the way we can use it to approach God’s love.
The icon of The Ladder depicts the Christians climbing the Ladder with angels on one side, encouraging us to go higher, and demons on the other, attempting to pull us off.
The Ladder has 30 rungs, one step for each, and if you master all of the steps, you have built a successful relationship with God.
Along with this idea, is that “you climb higher, you sleep lower.” According to Dn. Mark, Lent is a concentrated period of virtues where we climb higher and sleep lower until we eventually we reach the summit, which is our deep relationship with the Lord, that is not done in one day, but over a period of time.
Lent has six Sundays beginning with The Sunday of Orthodoxy and ending with Palm Sunday.
Sunday of Orthodoxy was always associated with the day we would bring the icons of our patron saint and process with them around the church, in remembrance of overcoming the iconoclasm in the 8th century. When the children did the procession this year, it reminded me of my own childhood, when I did the exact same thing.
The other Sundays focus on St. Gregory Palamas, The Holy Cross, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, St. Mary of Egypt and Palm Sunday.
Each Sunday gives us a lesson of hope, perseverance and victory to encourage us and propel us through Great Lent.
The Last 7 Days
Holy Week, some say, starts on Lazarus Saturday, when Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. This, coupled with Palm Sunday, the next day, are the triumphant and celebratory parts of Holy Week.
The church is adorned with palm leaves on the pews and icons on Palm Sunday. Parishioners receive palm crosses at the end of the service and we take them home and dry them out before displaying them with our icons. The strict fast is also broken, so fish is allowed to be consumed.
Somber and mourning are felt, as we recall Jesus’s last days. The hope juxtaposed with the melancholy helps to explain this time as a period of “bright sadness.”
According to Fr. Lou, the sadness part refers to being honest with yourself, which may lead to finding unpleasant aspects. It also is in part looking at the last days of Christ and all of the pain, sorrow and death he faced.
The brightness comes from the hope for all of our salvation because our God is a loving a merciful God. We get the opportunity to celebrate his glorious resurrection after going through all the pain.
What is known as services of the “Bridegroom” begin Holy Week on Palm Sunday night. Different parables are taught, such as Joseph, son of Jacob, who represents God’s providence; redemption and promise on Monday; and two parables related to the second coming: the parable of the Ten Virgins, and the parable of the talents on Tuesday. These teach spiritual vigilance, stewardship, accountability, and judgement.
The Bridegroom services are performed by candlelight, the only light coming from the parishioners’ lit candles. It is an enlightening experience to watch as the church begins to darken as the sun goes down, shining light on the pages of the little black Holy Week books that every Orthodox Christian pulls out once a year.
The sacrament of Holy Unction is performed each Holy Wednesday. Unction is one of the seven sacraments in the church, and allows Orthodox Christians to be anointed with blessed oil. The oil has healing powers, symbolic of Christ being able to heal us from sin and corruption.
When we receive Unction at the end of the service, we hold out our hands, and the priest anoints the the top of them, the inside of our hands, then our cheeks, chin and forehead. After receiving, you are supposed to massage the oil into your skin and experience its healing powers.
On Holy Thursday, we read the 12 Passions Gospels the recount Christ’s last days, from the betrayal to the resurrection. This is a very sorrowful and mourning service, as Christ’s body is processing around the church as the congregation is kneeling. It symbolizes Christ traveling to Golgotha and being nailed to the cross.
For Todd, the Matins service on Holy Thursday is her favorite. Growing up, she would attend every single service during the week. For her, experiencing the services was her way to accept the religion for herself, as she saw that as one of the aspects that differentiated cradled and converted Orthodox Christians.
“There is an aspect of questioning the religion for yourself, and when you do, you find the answers because you seek them out, rather than just knowing them like a cradled Orthodox Christian might.”
After the Cross is processed around the church and placed back on the solea, the congregation comes forward one at a time to venerate the cross with a metania and kissing the feet of the Cross. This happens between Gospel readings throughout the rest of the evening until everyone has had the chance to venerate the Cross.
Many are advised to take Holy Friday off and devote it to church. Holy Friday is a funereal day, as it focuses on Christ’s passion, death and burial. There are three main services that day: the morning service which focuses on Christ’s capture and crucifixion; the Apokathelosis service in the afternoon, where Christ being taken off the cross; and the evening service which is the funeral service where Lamentations are sung.
Members of the parish of all ages decorate the kouvouklion following the Royal Hours in the morning, with either carnations or roses, and then the flowers are taken off the kouvouklion at the end of the Lamentations service and distributed to the parishioners.
In the Apokathelosis, Christ’s body is taken off the cross and wrapped in a cloth then processed around the church
The body is then placed in the kouvouklion (the tomb). The epitaphios, which is a large, embroidered cloth depicting Jesus being taken off the cross, is placed inside the kouvouklion and is venerated by the congregation prior to the evening service.
One of my personal favorite services in Holy Friday night’s Lamentations service. During this service, the kouvouklion and the cross is hoisted up by men in the parish, and taken around the church, while the funeral lamentations are sung. The congregation has lit candles during this part of the service.
One reason I personally like the Lamentations service is because of the music. Todd, who is also heavily involved in the church as a chanter and in the choir describes the music the hard work that goes into the liturgical music performed during Holy Week.
“We have lots of additional practices. This is so much more work, but ends up being so much more worth it when the music sounds beautiful. It is my way to offer my talents to the church.”
This service the next morning is commonly known as the Proto-Anastasi service. It will often feature a youth choir performing Paschal hymns.
“This service remembers his descent into Hades, where according to Scriptures, he preaches to those in this place of death,” explains Fr. Lou.
Basil leaves will be spread around the church, and remain there through Pascha, where church-goes can pick them up and take them home to use.
Many families with young children will take them to this service, since the Anastasi service is late at night.
The rest of the day is used to dye eggs and prepare Greek treats for Pascha, such as kourabiethes (butter cookies with powdered sugar), koulourakia (Greek coffee cookies) and tsoureki (Greek sweet bread).
Red Eggs and Lamb
Half an hour to an hour before the Anastasi starts, is a Vespers service. When we get to the church, we take white candles which are lit during the service. The church is lined wall to wall with people, many of them churchgoers who come for only Christmas and Easter. Everyone is prone to singed hair, possible fainting, and aching feet.
Right before midnight, the lights begin to turn off in the church. Anticipation builds, especially for those who experience the Anastasi for the first time. My first service was when I was about 12, and the feeling never gets old.
Each church looks different in the dark, depending on their iconography. At the Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Denver, where I grew up, the walls and the ceiling are covered in iconography, so the halos give off a celestial glow when there is nothing but candlelight.
The service begins with the priest coming out from behind the altar with a single lit candle and says “Come Receive the Light.” The ushers of the church along with the altar boys are the first to receive the light, and one by one, the light gets passed throughout the church until all of the candles are lit.
Then we begin with the hymn that is sung countless times throughout the night and for the next 40 days until Pentecost:
“Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών, θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας, και τοις εν τοις μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος.”
“Christos Anesti ek nekron, thanato thanaton patisas, kai tis en tis mnimasi zoin harisamenos.”
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs, granting life.”
So, when we greet someone after Pascha, we say “Christos Anesti” and reply “Alithos Anesti.” This translates to “Christ is Risen,” “Truly He is Risen.” Before Pascha, it is common to say “Kali Anastasi” or “Kalo Pascha,” which translates to “Happy Anastasi” or “Happy Pascha.”
When the Anastasi service ends, the church seamlessly shifts into a typical Divine Liturgy.
When we leave church, we are given a red egg, and it is played in a game to see which egg is the strongest. It is said when the egg cracks, it represents the shattering of the graves in Hades.
At 2 a.m., after church ends, the fast is broken. Depending on the church, the parishioners will bring Paschal baskets, filled with the things fasted from, such as meat, cheese, wine, bread and sometimes sweets. The baskets will be blessed by the priest before church is dismissed.
Other churches, like the Assumption Cathedral, will host a huge glendi (party). It consists a nice, large lamb dinner, and plenty of Greek dancing. The party lasts well into the early morning, so oftentimes, you don’t get home until right before dawn.
For those who are hosting a party Sunday afternoon, they have to get the lamb on the spit early in the morning. This is the well-known part about being Greek: roasting a lamb on a spit in the front yard. Literally.
Those who are sleeping enjoy a leisure wake up and light breakfast of dyed hard-boiled eggs, koulourakia and tsoureki.
Before the feast, there is one last service, the Agape vespers, the vespers of love. During this service, the Gospel is read in multiple languages, showing “the universality of God’s resurrection,” according to Fr. Lou.
Then comes the second feast for most, or the first of the holiday for some. The spread is roast lamb, pastitso, spanakopita and other Greek delights.
Even the lamb that we eat has Biblical symbolism; the lamb is symbolic of the sacrificial lamb in Passover the signifies the passing from life to death.
This concludes Holy Week. There is a 40-day period until Pentecost is celebrated. Since Pascha is on a different day each year (this is based on the Julian Calendar, Passover and the Equinox), Pentecost is a different day each year. During this period, “Christos Anesti” is sung.
There is nothing in the world quite like “Greek Easter.” It has been something that I have had the opportunity to experience for my entire life. This is the way I can share it with my readers, so they can experience what I do during this wonderfully spiritual time of the year.
