Greek Easter does not follow the same date as Western Easter, falling instead according to the Orthodox calendar, which places it anywhere from late March to early May. Whatever the date, the week leading up to it transforms the island. Churches that sit quiet for much of the year fill with worshippers each evening, the smell of incense drifting out into the streets. Local bakeries produce tsoureki, a sweet braided bread flavoured with mastic, alongside red-dyed eggs that appear in every household and shop window.
The midnight service on Holy Saturday is the centrepiece of the whole celebration. By eleven at night, the church squares of Aegina town and the smaller villages are packed. Everyone holds an unlit candle. At the stroke of midnight the priest emerges carrying the Holy Light, and within minutes the flame passes from person to person through the crowd until the entire square is glowing. Church bells ring, fireworks go up over the harbour, and the greeting exchanged between strangers and neighbours alike is Christos Anesti — Christ is risen — answered with Alithos Anesti, truly he is risen.
After the service, families return home or gather at long tables outside to break the Lenten fast with a bowl of magiritsa, a thick soup made from lamb offal and rice with a lemon and egg sauce. It tastes richer and more satisfying than it perhaps sounds, particularly at one in the morning after a long church service. The main feast comes on Sunday afternoon, when whole lambs rotate on spits over wood fires in gardens, courtyards, and the verges of country roads across the island.
Visitors who want to experience this should book accommodation well in advance, as many Athenians also come to the islands for Easter. Joining the midnight service requires no invitation — the churches are open, the atmosphere welcoming. Dress respectably and bring your own candle if you can find one, though candles are usually distributed inside the church for a small donation.