(Flowers at Profet Illias)
Because the
Chinese New Year is so often depicted in the media, most people are aware that
the Chinese live by their own calendar; but they are not the only people to do
so. Even in Europe there are different calendars. The Orthodox church has never
accepted the Gregorian calendar which is used by most of the world; rather it still
follows the Julian calendar that was introduced by Julius Caesar. For this
reason the Orthodox Easter falls on the same day as catholic Easter only once
in four years.
This year
Easter in Greece is extremely late: on May fifth. And because the weather is
already pretty warm, we might get the hottest Easter ever. This year the Holy
Week that is celebrated before Easter could easily be called a Holy Heat Wave
Week. It started last Palm Sunday and will end after Good Friday with Holy
Saturday.
Yesterday
the mercury crept up way above 25 ºC. When I was watering the garden I saw a
bird following the water and when the water formed a pool the bird jumped in to
have some fun in his little bath. I am no bird watcher and I have no idea what
kind of sturdy bird dared to come so close to me and even to challenge the many
cats around my house just to enjoy a cooling bath. Its colour was grey like a
sparrow, although its plumage looked more silky and finer and he wore a
slightly red cap on his head.
Now
I regret not having photographed him, as I also regret that last night I did
not walk to the beach to take a photograph of the sea that was so flat that the
reflections of the coloured lights in Turkey stretched as far as the beach
here.
Today,
when in Holland a King is crowned, on Lesvos the mercury threatens to rise above
30 ºC. The birdwatchers, now in large numbers on the island, gathering on the
roads with their heavy cameras and binoculars hoping to spot a rare bird, won’t
be happy with this exceptional hot weather. In Holland there is an expression
for when it is really hot weather: the sparrows nearly fall off the roof!
There
are also a certain number of flower lovers on the island. They must be
thankful, because the warm weather has coaxed plenty of flowers out of the
moist ground: tulips, orchids, wild gladiolus, peonies. Many more flowers seem
to have multiplied since last year and some places like the chestnut wood above
Agiasos or on the Profet Illias above Parakila (from where the yellow
rhododendrons stream down towards the pine woods) are so rich with flowers that
you may believe you are in paradise.
These
groups of tourists, so occupied with the miraculous scenery of Lesvos, probably
do not realise that they are in the midst of the Holy Week – that many Greeks
go daily to church, and that they officially eat only shell fish and vegetables
and that from Good Friday until Easter Night they may only keep themselves
alive with fruit.
Another
exceptional thing that occurs this year because of the late Easter is that May
First also falls in the Holy Week. May First in Greece is the celebration day
of flowers and people will make garlands and visit nature and the restaurants.
It can’t be that much of a celebration when you have to fast and possibly it does
not suit such a sober week. For that reason the government has decided that the
May First celebrations will be
postponed until May seventh, a day after Easter Monday.
I
cannot believe that they have done this. For me it is like officially
postponing spring for one week. So the Greek officials who are traditionally on
holiday on this first day of May are giving themselves this May first as well
as an extra free day next week.
I
am wondering if they will then dine abundantly, because of what has been eaten
on Easter. Easter Monday is often used as an After Easter Party Day, so it will
be only on the next day that they can give their stomach some peace. But then
it will be May First! But how many people will have the money to party for
three consecutive days? Have I interpreted this right?
Lots
of Greeks will visit their family during Easter here on the island and the stream
of foreign tourists has also begun. The summer season has now really started
and with Easter all hotels, restaurants and shops will be opened. Holy Week or
not, May First or not, those tourists also have to go for dinner and can eat
everything they like because they are not fasting. And so we suddenly go from
the quiet winter directly into a hot and busy summer. Only the spring flowers
are witness to the fact that it’s only just spring. Kalo Paska!
(with thanks to Mary Staples)
© Smitaki
2013
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