Easter is probably my favorite holiday. The Greek services are epic and moving. Last year was my first year fasting during Holy Week. The fast is meant to last from Sunday until Midnight Mass ends on Saturday. It basically necessitates a vegan diet for one week. This year, I fasted a little but cheated a lot. I didn't start the fast until Tuesday because I was busy celebrating another holiday (Marathon Monday) which requires a lot of food to soak up liquor. I figured Jesus would understand. I fasted Tuesday through Thursday taking a break for a few pieces of calamari and a slice of cheese pizza. While fasting, my diet consisted of bread and leaves with vinegar. Mmmmm.
Wednesday I went to church for the Holy Unction, which, according to OrthodoxWiki.org is a sacrament that "provides both physical and spiritual healing with holy oil blessed by the Holy Spirit." I accidentally showed up for mass half an hour early. I had to ask some elderly Greek man if I missed service. When he told me I hadn't, I decided to sit in a row in the middle and reflect on my life. I stared at the icons and art and watched the elderly people conduct their pre-mass rituals.
Watching people practice their spirituality is intimate and interesting. One older lady approached the altar several times and kissed the feet of a huge painting of Jesus on the wall next to the altar. Others lit candles and stood in front of them praying for a while. The mass itself was two hours. It was very long but beautiful. Going to a mass at the Greek church alone is a lot different than going with people. Standing in the pew for two hours trying to follow along in both Greek and English while listening to the chanters and watching people are difficult tasks to juggle but half an hour into the service I had developed a manageable routine that allowed me to do all these things at once. My favorite part about Greek masses is the chanting. It's beautiful and eerie.
The priest eventually spoke directly to the parishioners and actually started crying. It was strange because sitting there for an hour and a half was very emotional so most people were on the verge of tears, especially since the mass is about gaining forgiveness for all the things you've done wrong. He spoke about the importance of forgiving other people in order to be forgiven yourself. I'm not a particularly religious person. I don't follow the Greek Orthodox religion strictly. I don't think I believe in God and I don't believe a lot of what the church preaches. I do, however, believe that it is a strong part of Greek culture and I believe that even the least religious person can gain insight and have a positive experience in a religious atmosphere.
Two hours after arriving, it was finally my turn to have my sins forgiven. I'm not really sure what they would consider my sins but it is comforting to know that in someone's mind you can be completely forgiven in a few brushes of an oily Q-Tip. Despite the unappealing sound of the tradition, everyone left the church feeling a little freer than they entered.
I couldn't go to Springfield for Easter this year. This was extremely upsetting. Stephanie wrote me on Saturday night saying I should have been getting ready for midnight mass with her. I agree. She also told me I was missing out on all the hot Greek guys hitting on her at the feast after midnight mass. Some other things I missed out on this year include:
- Scaring Yai when all the lights go out during Midnight Mass
- Trying to make Nick break his serious, alter-boy expression while he stands in front of hundreds of people
- Communion: bread and red wine
- My favorite song: Christos Anesti.... It is stuck in my head year round
- Breaking hard-boiled, red-dyed eggs on Nick's forehead at 2 in the morning on the ride home
- Dancing with Yai and Angelo in the kitchen
- Feasting at Nouna's house
- The Greek Mafia
- Seeing Yai rub Steve down with oil because he didn't attend the Holy Unction
- Being in a car with Yai while she drives under 20 MPH and sings loudly to Greek music about smoking cigarettes
This is kind of creepy but it was the best I could find.
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1 comment:
Jesus when are you coming home?
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