BBQ Lamb and other Orthodox Easter Sunday Surprises
Parikia, Paros Island, Greece, April 19th, 2020
Salaroche

I have experienced Easter in Catholic countries in the past and in Protestant ones too, but I had never really experienced it in an Orthodox country before. I am not of the Christian persuasion, so I do not have any personal emotions attached to this time of year, but, as millions of other non-Christian people, I am very familiar with the story of Christ, his alleged origins, his life and his tragic end, which has been masterfully depicted in some well-known movies like “The Greatest Story Ever Told” or in TV miniseries like “Jesus of Nazareth”.

On Saturday the 18th, therefore, I was perfectly oblivious of the impending moment that the whole of Greece was eagerly awaiting to celebrate: The resurrection of Christ, which is supposed to have happened on the Sunday immediately after the Friday in which he is supposed to have died on the cross.

After my nightly shower, I was already in bed getting ready to watch my movie of the night, a film called “Captain Fantastic”, with Vigo Mortensen, of “Lord of the Rings” fame, in the leading role, when I heard a voice coming out of my neighbors’ terrace. The voice was singing a song that, to me ears, had a clear religious air to it.

In looking at my watch I saw it was around quarter past eleven and concluded that, since it was Saturday and the temperature outside was rather pleasant, my neighbors were probably having a family get together or something of that sort. So, I just put my earphones back in place and went on watching the movie.

Sometime later I started hearing cracks and pops in the distance, along with sirens and church bells ringing nearby, so I thought there was a celebration going on of which I was totally unaware. I immediately Googled something like “Greek Carnivals in April”, but did not detect anything pertaining to Saturday 18th (I had not yet realized it was already Sunday the 19th)

So, while the firecrackers were still popping in the distance and some church bells were still ringing in the air, I slipped into some long, warm underwear, put on a sweater, slipped onto my sandals and went out onto my large terrace only to find my neighbors lighting up candles upon the short walls of their terrace. I waived a hand at them and when one of them came closer I asked him “Wow! What are we celebrating?” and he just replied “today is the day Christ came back to life”, and it immediately dawned on me that it was Easter Sunday, or resurrection day. I just said “thank you” and a moment later I went back to my bedroom and continued watching my movie.

This morning, Sunday the 19th, was just a normal morning for me, except that as I peaked outside my door, I could see the smoke and smell the BBQ smell coming out of my neighbors’ fireplace, which is located outside on their terrace and is built like one of those small indoor chimneys. “Hey”, I said to myself, “this looks like it might be a whole-day Easter celebration in the neighborhood”.

As late lunchtime came along, at around 1:30 or so, I made myself a nice baguette chicken sandwich with mayo, tomato and some olive oil and, grabbing a Corona beer I had in the fridge, went to have my lunch in the terrace overlooking the hills. As usual, my feline friends did not fail to sit by my side, occasionally brushing themselves against my legs to remind me of their presence in case I decided to share any bits of my meal with them.

And then, all of a sudden, I see my neighbor Maria stepping on the top steps of the short, white, concrete staircase that leads to my terrace, walking towards me with a nice smile drawn on her face, holding something that looked like a paper plate in her hands, saying something to me in Greek.

I did not even have time to stand up as she placed the plate on my small, white round table, telling me in broken English that today was resurrection day and she was bringing some lamb to me to celebrate. I just said “yes! I understand, thank you! thank you very much! Efharisto Polí!!”. She just said “Parakaló”, and then left.

As she was walking down the stairs I stood up and went to the short terrace wall and said to her in a loud but gentle manner “Maria! Efharisto! Efharisto Polí!” which in English means thank you, thank you very much. A short while later I decided to take the pictures include here-below with the idea of sharing them with you later today.

Was that a nice neighborly gesture or what? One of those beautiful things that sometimes fall on us right out of the blue for apparently no reason at all. But that was not the end of this little Easter story. As I was transferring the photos from my phone to my computer, I heard a female voice calling my name from somewhere near the stairs. So I said “yes!” and walked out onto the terrace.

And there was Margarita, my landlady, holding in her hands a china plate with some little tartlets in it. “Mr. George”, she said, “this is some Melitinia for you” (please note that Margarita’s husband, Mr. Efthimios and I always call each other adding Mr. before our names) So, taking the plate in my hands, I asked her whether she had made them, and she said yes, adding they were made with cheese, sugar, cinnamon and dough. I just thanked her effusively for her kind gesture and after a short conversation on a few minor subjects she left.

What impression would you have of my neighbors had you been the recipient of the kind gestures they made me the object of today? No doubt you would be thinking, just as much as I have been thinking over the past 2.5 months, that Greek people are indeed a very friendly bunch of human beings.

By the way, the movie “Captain Fantastic” I mentioned in the third paragraph of this commentary, turned out to capture my imagination rather well, as it tells the story of a couple who decides to raise and educate their children in the woods, away from civilization, and the difficulties their family finds when circumstances force them to go back to living in the city.

The main reason the movie captured my attention is that in the late sixties and early seventies I participated in a couple of communes whose members included a number of musicians, painters and writers who tried living together in the mountains, but for circumstantial reasons eventually had to come back down to what we call “civilization”.

…meanwhile, please take good care of yourselves, your loved ones and your friends.

Salaroche

01. Easter Sunday BBQ Lamb and Corona Beer

02. Easter Sunday BBQ Lamb and Corona Beer