Greece celebrated the Resurrection of Christ at midnight on Holy Saturday at local churches throughout the country.
Across the country, worshipers gathered to mark the most sacred day on the Orthodox Christian calendar—Easter Sunday, or Pascha, commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with centuries-old customs that blend solemnity, joy, and deep-rooted cultural tradition.
The Easter celebration began late on Saturday evening, as thousands attended the midnight Resurrection service known as the Anastasi. In churches across the country, lights are dimmed in anticipation until the Holy Flame, representing the light of Christ, is passed from the altar to the congregation.
Just as the clock struck midnight, the priest proclaimed, “Christos Anesti!” (Christ is Risen!), echoed joyfully by the congregation: “Alithos Anesti!” (Truly, He is Risen!).
Christ is risen from the dead,
by death trampling death,
and to those in the tombs
granting life!
The hymn is part of the Paschal Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite, and it was certainly in use in the 5th or 6th century. Its ultimate origin is unknown. Fireworks lit up the skies, bells rang, and emotional embraces were shared among family and friends.
Worshipers carefully carry their lit candles home, shielding the flame from the wind—a symbolic act believed to bring blessings. Across Greece, it is common to mark doorways with the sign of the Cross using the blessed candle from the midnight service. The flame lightly scorches a visible cross onto the top of the doorframe, serving as a protective blessing for the year ahead.
Rocket war of Chios island
The rocket war of Chios has been taking place on the Greek island for over two hundred years. One of the most beautiful Easter spectacles in Greece is also a dangerous one, and many locals are opposed to the “war” between the two churches in the village of Vrodados.
Egg cracking and magiritsa in Greece after Christ’s Resurrection Liturgy
After the Resurrection liturgy, dinner tables, egg cracking, or tsougrisma (τσούγκρισμα in Greek), start. The red-dyed eggs are tapped against each other and cracked together between two people as they exchange the traditional Easter greeting “Christos anesti!” (“Christ has risen”) – “Alithos anesti!” (“He Truly Has”).
Greeks have been cracking red eggs at Easter for many centuries. The tradition, although it is also a fun game, is of course steeped in religious symbolism as well. The egg in itself is a symbol, as its hard shell represents the sealed tomb of Jesus, the cracking of which symbolizes His resurrection from the dead and exit from the tomb.
This is followed by the traditional Easter soup “magiritsa,” a Greek soup made from lamb offal. Greek-Americans and Greek-Canadians sometimes call it “Easter soup,” “Easter Sunday soup,” or “Easter lamb soup.” Magiritsa, which breaks the forty-day Great Lent period, is considered to be the best meal to gradually ease your digestive system back into its regular eating habits after the fasting period.
In some parts of Greece, most notably Thessaly, it is not served as soup but rather as a fricassee, where it contains only offal and a large variety of vegetables but no onions or rice, as in the soup.