No Greek Easter dinner is complete without the
deep red-colored eggs. There are different
explanations for the meaning behind the deep
red: some believe it represents the blood
shed in the Holy Land on Good Friday; others
believe it reflects joy at Christ's
resurrection. A centuries-old ritual has
two people "bashing" their eggs together, and
the one with the shell intact gets good luck for
the next year.
Worry Beads
Also known as
komboloi, this
string of beads
originated in the Orient
and made its way to
Greece by way of
the Turks, who used the
beads as a means to
count prayers.
Though the Christian
Greeks don't attach the
same religious
significance to the
beads as the Muslim
Turks, it is common to
see Greek men sitting in
cafes clicking the beads
between their fingers as
they pass the time.
Vampires
The vampires of Greek folklore stem from
a well-established ritual performed on
dead bodies. Because of the rocky
terrain in Greece, there is little space
for cemeteries. The Greek church
forbids cremation, therefore the demand
for suitable burial ground is high.
To alleviate this demand the Greeks have
adopted the practice of digging up dead
bodies three years after placing them in
the ground. By this time the flesh
has melted away and all that is left are
the dry bones. The bones are
put into a smaller box, doused with wine
by relatives, blessed by a priest, and
put into a "house of sleep."
Occasionally a body does not decay
properly and the black flesh is still
intact when the relatives dig up the
body. It is believed that bodies
such as this are feeding upon the blood
of the living--hence the vampire belief!
