Say what?!
“Christos Anesti” is a Greek saying that translates to “Christ is Risen.” It is an Easter custom for us Greeks to say “Christos Anesti” to each other on Easter Sunday. If someone says “Christos Anesti,” it is also custom to respond with “Alithos Anesti,” which means “Truly He has Risen.”
That being said…
Christos Anesti! Happy Greek Easter!
Try teaching your Irish boyfriend how to say those phrases.
You might be wondering why my Easter falls on a different Sunday this year? Well, it’s not because Greeks are cheap and my family likes to get Easter candy for 50% off. (Dad, are you reading this? I used your favorite joke!)
The calculation for when to celebrate Easter is actually the same for both Western and Orthodox cultures: Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, the two churches base their dates from different calendars. Western churches use the Gregorian calendar (which is the standard calendar for much of the world), while Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar. [Source]
Hence the different dates!
Thank goodness we cleared that up.
Easter will always remind me of my Yiayia K because it was her favorite holiday. We always celebrated Easter with my dad’s side of the family since we did Thanksgiving with my mom’s. Yiayia was very religious and always attended all the Easter services. She also loved the nice weather, birds chirping, and anything about springtime!
Sadly, Yiayia passed right after Easter 2010, two years ago. Can you believe it’s already been that long?
Here’s my very favorite picture from Easter, in 2009:
It’s my favorite because all of us are in it! Even if my brother does have his eyes closed.
I’m off to church, and then I’m heading down to New Bedford to spend the day with my family. I wish Yiayia could be here to see the cupcakes I made. I think she would really love them. I’ll share them with you guys later!
If you celebrate Easter, how did you celebrate this year? If not, did you celebrate something else? Do you have any holidays that remind you of certain family members?
I’m thinking of you today, Yiayia!
Fitness & Feta 