An impressive and varied experience awaits those who visit Santorini island during the days of Greek Easter.
Visiting Santorini during Easter, you will have the opportunity to experience the local culture and customs of the island. All streets on the island during the holy week are full of scents and aromas, from the houses and the bakeries that don’t stop baking the festive traditional goodies. Such as “meletinia” (traditional pastry), cookies, brooches, tsoureki and more.
Good Friday in Santorini
On Good Friday at noon at Emporeio village the “simantra” revive. The men of the village gather and knock on any metal object to make noise, walking through the narrow alleys of churches of the village. The women of the village they beat men with raki (traditional drink) and candies because they thinK it will drive away with evil spirits.
On Good Friday in Santorini after the sunset when the sky is dark , the traditional village of Pyrgos is flooded with a crowd of people to see the most popular custom of the Easter. It’s a unique spectacle, regardless of any religious beliefs!
Early in the morning the young men of the village fill every roof, every balcony, every church and every side street , with cans which are lit with paraffin oil the same time that the epitaph comes out of the church.
Imagine an entire village that shines only from the lanterns at the same time when the epitaph creates a suffocating atmosphere.
Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday in Santorini
At the Holy Saturday night, in every place of the island people are celebrating Jesus resurrection at 00;00 and fireworks fill the night sky.
We could not skip to mention Easter Sunday. The whole island is celebrating with traditional music and dancing. And of course the custom of the day is to roast the lamb.
Also, at Perissa village and other villages of the island revives Juda’s burning. The villagers make a dummy representing Judah. They fill it with explosives and place it somewhere high and at a safe distance and they shoot him.
Santorini is an ideal place to be during the days of Greek Easter for everyone who wants to explore the beauty of the island without the hustle and bustle of the summe, plus the weather is really good.
So if you want to experience Santorini Island during a traditional festive season, then the ultimate Orthodox Easter is your choice! At this time of the year the Island is amazing, with perfect temperatures and you will be able to experience the real Island Culture and savour all the traditional foods of this time of year such as, lamb on the spear, the red eggs, the tsoureki ” a sweet Easter dessert bread and much more..
If you require some assistance with your car rental in Santorini, (or ATV & bike rental), please to not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team at Blue Island Rental and we would be more than happy to assist.