Many of us celebrated Easter last weekend, but for members of the Greek Orthodox community, Easter is this Sunday. Greek Easter is one of the country’s most important holidays. It involves a 40-day fasting period, similar to Lent. For one week there is a complete fast, when no meats, dairy, fish or poultry may be eaten. Shellfish is allowed, but three days a week remain meatless after that. On the Saturday before Easter Sunday, food that will be served for the holiday is taken to the church and blessed.
Traditional foods for the holiday include red eggs (representing the color of life and the blood of Christ), Magirista soup (which marks the end of fasting after midnight on Easter Saturday) and a spit of lamb.
Saturday night in the newsroom, we’ll observe the occasion by enjoying Greek foods. I don’t know that they will be keeping with traditional holiday foods, but the thought will be there. I’m currently trying to decide between a pasta, chicken and spinach dish or a lemon chicken.
Any easy suggestions out there?
