Greek Orthodox Easter in Cyprus

This year Easter in Cyprus falls on the same day as in other parts of Western Europe.

CYPRUS EASTER

Easter Sunday - April 4th 2010

Pascha - (Easter in Greek - pronounced Pas - ha), is the most important of the religious Cyprus festivals in Cyprus and Greece.

It's a lovely time to visit Cyprus as the weather is glorious and yet not too hot to explore and discover the beautiful island of Aphrodite Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty.

Greek and Cyprus Easter are the same and always fall during the month of April because the Julian calendar is used to calculate when the orthodox Easter will be.

Cyprus Traditions at Easter in Cyprus

The first week of 'Apokria' is called Meat Week (Kreatini) and this is the last week you can eat meat. The second week is cheese week (Tyrini) and also the last week to eat cheese and other dairy products before Easter.

This is the time of Lent and on Green Monday (Clean Monday in Greece) the fasting officially begins and lasts for 40 days. This day is a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus and people traditionally go on picnics and fly kites.

Eggs are dyed red, blue yellow and green and used to decorate the cakes and displayed in bowls and baskets throughout Easter. The red eggs represent the blood of Christ when he was crucified.

It's custmary to tap the eggs against each other and the one with the egg that doesn't break is the winner.

You can find flaounes and tsoureki in the local bakers and supermarkets or you can make them at home. Incredibly delicious for breakfast with coffee.

GOOD FRIDAY (Megali Paraskevi)

EASTER SUNDAY

The 40 days of fasting is broken by eating magiritsa - Easter soup of lamb and avgolemoni with the dyed-red eggs and Easter flaounes and tsoureki. Easter Sunday celebrates the end of the 40 days of fasting which began on Green Monday. A great feast is had by all and most families and friends cook roast lamb in ovens or the lamb is barbecued on spits.