| Easter celebrations & traditions in the villages of Crete |
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| What does celebrating Easter in the village mean? What else than spring, flowering meadows, devotion, bright lights, candles and tables set up in the courtyards. Easter in the village is full of images, aromas and flavours of tradition: lamb, tsoureki (brioche), Easter buns, and other delicious recipes. Easter is a great celebration of our tradition and we plan to enjoy it as it should be... With joy... |
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| Religious devotion is the intense feeling that dominates the events for the faithful during Holy Week. Combining the dramatization of the Divine Passion, but also the glow of the Resurrection and Easter Sunday, accompanied by the warm hospitality of the Cretans and the delicacies that the senses can hardly resist, are unique experiences for foreign visitors to our land. Whether they are religious or not, our visitors do not let any opportunity go wasted. Whether it includes visiting churches and monasteries, especially on the days when the holy traditions peak, Good Thursday and Good Friday, to observe the solemn religious services, or participate in customs that characterize many regions of the island and their villages, or of course the Easter dinner. |
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| | The dates for Greek Orthodox Easter in 2023 are the following: Holy Thursday - April 13th Good Friday - April 14th Holy Saturday - April 15th Easter Day(Sunday) - April 16th Easter Monday - April 17th |
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| Good Friday is a day of mourning. The drama of the death of Christ is followed with great devotion. The icon of Christ when he is taken from the cross, wrapped in linen and put in a Bier (Epitafios) symbolises the tomb of Christ. On this day, people start gathering at their local church from the very morning to decorate “Epitaphios”. Good Friday ends with an evening mass and a procession around the church with people singing religious songs - hymns. All along its route, people scatter flowers and perfumes on the "Epitaphios" (bier), holding lighted candles in their hands. |
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| | On Holy Saturday evening, people gather at the church and its surrounding area, and, at the stroke of midnight, the priest exclaims “Christos Anesti!” (“The Christ has risen!”) and the crowd answers “Alithos Anesti!” (“Indeed, he has risen!”). |
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| At this moment, people light up their white candles that symbolise the Holy Light, thus spreading the light across the Earth. People take their candles and walk around the church to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection, then go to their homes to draw a cross in front of the door to protect their household from evil. This beautiful ritual also indicates the end of the Great Lent that had started 40 days before, during which time Cretans avoid meat. It is now time for the Resurrection meal! On every Greek table, you will find the traditional Easter soup “Magiritsa”. It is made with lamb tripe and might not be for everyone but it is an absolute must for a Cretan Easter! |
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| The Easter Sunday celebrations |
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| Easter Sunday (Kyriaki tou Pascha) is a joyful day of celebration, the favourite of all days of the year for Greeks. Due to the great Mediterranean weather, families, relatives, and friends gather before noon, mainly in the countryside to prepare the festive Easter Sunday meal. A fire is set up outdoors where a whole lamb is slowly roasted for many hours. It is accompanied by the side dishes such as tzatziki, roast potatoes, Greek salad and plenty of wine, and raki. Everyone sits around a large table for a long lunch accompanied by drinking, singing, and dancing until late at night. |
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| Easter Cretan Sweet Cheese Pastries (lichnarakia) |
Extremely soft and highly addictive! These delicious little cheese pastries (Lichnarakia) are a holiday tradition from the island of Crete. Lichnarakia is traditionally made with a fresh soft variety of Myzithra cheese (not the salty type). If you can find them, try them with some Italian mascarpone or ricotta. |
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| ingredients: - 1 Lemon, zest of,
- 1/2 Orange, juice of,
- 3 Eggs and 1 egg white,
- 4 tsp Baking powder,
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon powder,
- 1 kg Flour, 2 1/2 cup Sugar,
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract,
- 1 cup Olive oil,
- 1 kg sweet Myzithra cheese or mascarpone or ricotta
- 1 cup Yogurt,
- 1 tbsp Water.
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Newly added Rental Properties in our Portfolio |
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Nestled in the heart of Rethymno town, this lovely apartment is the perfect accommodation for your vacation. A fully equipped apartment that provides guests all the comforts! The studio is close to the beach, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, bus station and nightlife, everything is in walking distance. |
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| Carya Residence used to be Manoli's grandfather's house, which he renovated, with much love, in order to keep the memories and give it life again. This is the chance for people to live in a traditional village, while enjoying all the comforts a newly renovated and restored house, can offer... |
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BEAUTIFUL PROPERTIES FOR SALE |
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Set on a 387M2 plot in Amnatos village, Casa Sanguinazzo is a traditional Venetian mansion that was originally used as the holiday home of Venetian aristocrat Z. Sanguinazzo.The sizable villa features five bedrooms spread over two levels. The property provides full privacy along with... |
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| 3 Villas off-plan with sea view in Asteri |
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2 unique luxury villas in Kamilari - Matala |
The 2 amazing villas are located in the South of Crete. Set on a 10.300 m2 hill plot, among olive groves, they offer spectacular 360-degree unobstructed views to the sea and the Cretan mountains.The villas are ideal for holiday use, all year-round living and represent a great opportunity as an investment for rental use. |
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| Villa with 2 apartments in Nea Magnisia |
A 216 m2 house, set over 2 floors, on a 1.4045 m2 plot, in Nea Magnisia, approximately 10 km from the town of Rethymno and 1,5 km from the sea. Entering the property through an iron gate, there is a carport, a large garden and a driveway leading to the outside dining area with a built-in barbecue and wood-burning oven. |
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