Experiencing Orthodox Easter in Greece: A Holiday Like No Other

 Before studying abroad in Greece, I had no idea that Easter wasn’t always celebrated on the same day around the world. Growing up, Easter meant pastels, Peeps, and a brunch that usually ended with a food coma and family photos. But here in Greece, I quickly learned that Orthodox Easter is the major holiday, like way bigger than Christmas, and filled with traditions that are both deeply spiritual and beautifully communal.

What’s funny is that this year, by some rare twist of the calendar, Orthodox Easter happened to fall on the same day as American Easter. But make no mistake, Easter here is celebrated on a whole different level.

In the weeks leading up to the holiday, I started noticing little things around me changing. Grocery stores were stocked with bright red eggs, and I was curious enough to ask the woman at the market what they were for. She explained that the red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and that the eggs are used in a game where people crack them against one another on Easter Sunday. Whoever’s egg stays uncracked is said to have good luck for the year ahead. It was such a small but powerful way of connecting meaning with tradition, and it made me want to learn more. (The tradition reminds me a lot of snapping a wishing bone on Thanksgiving). 

I happened to be in Paros during Holy Week, and being there for the celebration was like stepping into another world. On Holy Saturday night, I followed a crowd gathering in the streets just before midnight, each person holding a candle. Before I knew it, I was walking among a sea of glowing lights, singing voices, and this shared reverence that gave me chills. At the front of the procession was a massive structure made of candles, being carried slowly through the streets. It felt sacred, quiet, and yet somehow loud all at once.

As the clock struck midnight, the celebration began. Bells rang out, people exchanged greetings, and fireworks lit up the sky across the island. It felt like a mix of Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the 4th of July all in one. 

On Easter Sunday, everything shut down. You could feel the stillness. Families gathered for huge meals, roasting lamb and celebrating well into the evening. Even the following Monday, known as Holy Monday, was treated as a holiday, with most businesses still closed and people taking the day to rest and spend time with loved ones (this left me abandoned with no groceries that I was not a fan of, but happy everyone got a day or rest). 

From the meaning behind a simple red egg to the grand processions through candlelit streets, it was a beautiful reminder of how different, yet deeply connected, people can be in how they find meaning, celebrate life, and honor what they believe.

I may have come to Greece not knowing Orthodox Easter was even a thing, but I’m leaving with a whole new appreciation for it.