Easter Supper

Something in my email from my mom... she got it from my aunt

Why Easter is Greek to Me: Xristos Anesti! Once every few years, Greek Easter falls the same week as “American Easter,” as it was called when I was growing up.In order for “Greek Easter” to be celebrated the same week as “American Easter,” Passover has to have been celebrated already. We Greeks don’t do Easter until after Passover, because how can you have Easter BEFORE Passover. Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, after all. Unless it is one of the years when the two holidays align.Here are some of the things that non-Greeks may not know about Greek Easter: We don’t do bunnies. We don’t do chocolate. We don’t do pastels.We do lamb, sweet cookies, and deep red. The lamb is roasted and not chocolate, the sweet cookies are called Koulorakia and are twisted like a braid, and our Easter eggs are dyed one color only: blood red. There is no Easter Egg hunt. There is a game in which you crack your red egg against someone else’s red egg hoping to have the strongest egg, which would indicate you getting a lot of good luck.Holy Week, for a Greek Orthodox, means you clear your calendar, you don’t make plans for that week at all because you will be in church every day, and you fast. Last year, in addition to not eating red meat and dairy before communion, my family also gave up sodas for the 40-day Lenten period.During one particularly stressful moment, there were many phone calls amongst our kids as to whether or not a canned drink called TING, made with grapefruit juice and carbonated water was, in fact, a soda and not a juice, which our then 10-year-old decided it was, so we had a Ting-less Lent.No matter where I find my self in the world I never miss Easter, or as we call it, Pascha. I have celebrated in Paris, London, New York City, Los Angeles, and in Salinas, California at a small humble church that was pure and simple.When we were kids, our parents would take us, and now as parents ourselves we take our children to many of the Holy Week services including the Good Friday service where you mourn the death of Jesus by walking up to the Epitaphio, which represents the dead body of Christ, make your cross, kiss the Epitaphio, and marvel at how it was decorated with a thousand glorious flowers, rose petals and smells like incense.Some very pious people will crawl under the Epitaphio. I have always been so moved to see this. There is no self- consciousness in this utter act of faith. There is no embarrassment to show symbolic sorrow at the death of our Saviour.At a certain point in the Good Friday service, the Epitaphio is carried outside by the deacons of the church, as if they are pall bearers, followed by worshipers carrying lit candles protected from dripping on your clothes and on others by having a red plastic cup that sits below the flame to catch the wax drippings. Every Greek person knows all too well the smell of burning hair.One time, in London, I smelled something and turned to look at where the smell might be coming from, only to be horrified that it was coming form me and my head was on fire. But I digress.It is somber and quiet as we follow the Epitaphio, in candlelight, from the altar to the outdoors, in order for it to circle the church before it returns back to the altar. We sing beautiful lamentations that make your heart break with their pure expression of sadness and hope.One of my favorite services during Easter is Holy Unction. This happens on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Holy Unction is a sacrament. It is for healing of our ills, physical and spiritual. It is preparing us for confession and communion. This sacrament has always been so humbling to me.When you approach the priest for Holy Unction, you bow your head and as he says a prayer and asks you your Christian name, he takes a swab of blessed oil and makes the sign of the cross on your forehead, cheeks, chin, backs of your hands and palms. It is a powerful reminder of how, with faith, we can be healed in many ways.The holy oil is then carefully dabbed with cotton balls provided by the church so you don’t leave there looking as if you’re ready to fry chicken with your face, and before you exit the church, you leave your cotton balls in a basket being held by altar boys, so as not to dispose of the holy oil in a less than holy place. The church burns the used cotton balls.There have been times when I have left church with my cotton ball and have panicked when I am driving away. At home I take care of it. Imagine a grown woman burning cotton balls in her sink. But that is what I do.Midnight Liturgy on Saturday night, going into Sunday morning is the Anastasi service. We will arrive at church at around 11 p.m., when it starts, and listen to the chanter as he chants in preparation for the service. My kids, dressed in their suits and having been awakened from a deep sleep to come to church, groggily sit and wait holding their candles with red cup wax catchers.As the service progresses, the moment we have all been waiting for approaches. All the lights in the church are turned off. It is pitch black It is dead quiet. The priest takes one candle and lights his one candle from the one remaining lit altar candle, which represents the light of Christ’s love ( I believe).From this one candle, the priest approaches the congregation and using his one candle he shares his light with a few people in the front pews. They in turn share their light with the people next to them and behind them. In quiet solemnity, we wait until the entire church is lit with only the light of candles, the light that has been created by one small flame has now created a room of shared light.And at a moment that can only be described as glorious, the priest cries out, “Xristos Anesti!” “Christ is Risen!” We respond with “Alithos Anesti!” “Truly, He is Risen!” We sing our glorious Xristos Anesti song with the choir. That moment, which happens about an hour, to an hour and half into the service and seems as if the service is over, actually marks the beginning of the service. The service then continues for another hour and a half.When I was a kid, after the service was over, we would go to the Anastasi Dinner that the church would throw in the church hall, where we would break our fast, drink Cokes at 2:30 in the morning, dance to a raucous Greek band and not go home until our stomachs were full of lamb, eggs, Koulouraki, and we saw the sun rise. Or was it the Son rise?But usually now, after Midnight Liturgy, we drive home with our still-lit candles. I always love seeing the looks on peoples faces as they pull up to our car seeing a family with lit candles calmly moving at 65 m.p.h. down the highway. When we get home, we crack eggs, eat cookies, drink hot chocolate (so not Greek) and I burn a cross into our doorways with the carbon from the candle smoke to bless our house for the year.There have been many times when painters touching up the house have wondered why there was this strange black cross burned into our doorways. The next day is usually followed by a late sleep in, then getting up and doing the same thing you just did but in the daytime at the Easter Picnic, usually held at a local park.I have to say, the Greeks know how to do Easter. Make no mistake. This is the most important holiday in our church. It is a beautiful week. I haven’t even begun to touch on what the week is really like. This is a sampling of a sampling of what it is like. It is so much more deep, so much richer than I have written here.But one thing is clear. It is a powerful, beautiful, mysterious, humbling, healing and moving week. It is filled with tradition and ritual. It is about renewal and faith. And even though it is still too early to say, Xristos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

Actress Rita Wilson, whose mother and father both were born in Greece, is widely credited with landing Nia Vardalos a movie deal for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Wilson and her actor husband Tom Hanks had their own "Big Fat Greek Wedding" in 1988. They have two children.

Source- The Washington Post

Why is Greek Easter on a Different Date? (With a FAQ!)

"How is Greek Easter calculated?"

This is the fun one - the day is governed by these three main conditions:

It must be based on the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian one;
It must be after the Jewish holiday of Passover;
It must be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which for this purpose is fixed as March 21st.

Every few years, "Western" (Catholic and Protestant) Easter and Greek Orthodox Easter coincide; these years are indicated by (same) following the date.

2008 - Easter Sunday - April 27th

2009 - Easter Sunday - April 19th

2010 - Easter Sunday - April 4th (same)

2011 - Easter Sunday - April 24th (same)

2012 - Easter Sunday - April 15th

2013 - Easter Sunday - May 5th

2014 - Easter Sunday - April 20th (same)

2015 - Easter Sunday - April 12th

2016 - Easter Sunday - May 1st

2017 - Easter Sunday - April 16th (same)

2018 - Easter Sunday - April 8th

2019 - Easter Sunday - April 28th

2020 - Easter Sunday - April 19th

2021 - Easter Sunday - May 2nd

2022 - Easter Sunday - April 24th

2023 - Easter Sunday - April 16th

I got this off a FAQ travel page. It gives you the gist, and also has great pictures.

The Red Hot and Smokey Thumb Project

Lot's done today! Cut, clear and burn day. Even though us mouses put a full day in, more needs to be done tomorrow. For some reason, the burning ban was lifted- so a serious amount of choked yard areas got chainsawed and dragged and cleared and burned. I soaked for about an hour and a half in a bubble bath tonight and I still smell like smoke. I was filthy! the fires are out and ready to be relit tomorrow! I feel so much better we got so much done! It was going to be a very long wait until next burning season and frustrating because it REALLY needed to be cleaned up. I am SO glad to be able to accomplish this! Woo Hoo!!!!!! And the rest will be completed tomorrow. PHEW! I'll get some pics too, if I remember! Lol! I was a bit busy today.

Off The Shelf

This is out of my personal library. Just thought I'd share what I'm reading now and then and also get a couple shots of my bookcases.

Some people dream of a gourmet kitchen, but my dream bonus room is a library. With atmosphere.

"The Shelters Of Stone", Jean Auel. I've read this before, many times. I'm the type of person who keeps their favorite books and authors and goes back to visit them often. A second reading often turns up things I have missed, or brings new meanings to light. A third and more re-visit is just to settle into the comfort of a favorite book- like watching a favorite move over again. I read very fast (no formal speed reading class) and retain what I read. It has been said that I devour books. If SS gets a new book I'd like to read, she just hands it over because she knows she will get it back the next day. Lol.

I need more shelves. Like floor to ceiling shelves.

But any who, this is what I am reading at the mo. I love her series and the real attention to detail she uses in her stories. I do tend to skip over them when I pick up the books for the third or fourth time. Auel is a detail rich author (Tom Clancy is another.) and she has mucho research under her belt. I'm waiting on the next book she promised in the series and it's taking lot's of time. She has said she's tired of writing it, lol, so I just have to wait. Pick up a book you have enjoyed and revisit for a while.

Spring Shots

The Green Thumb Project

Unconscious Mutterings 272 is MIA!

And I looked in the archives too!!! I think it's just a misprint. But it's going to mess everything up!

Unconscious Mutterings 273 (really, it's #272)

1. Questioning :: nosey


2. Immunity :: vaccinate


3. Online dating :: so-so


4. Calcium :: carbonate


5. Dressing :: wishbone


6. Bucket :: hole


7. Stain :: of cain


8. Advanced :: IP


9. Dramatic :: diva


10. Self-medication :: zzzz...

The Green Thumb Project

Before and after (well, during... So not done.) pics today. What went into the bed are Pinks in the front, lavender in the middle and some tulip bulbs to the left up against the brick. Way in the back is Solomons Seal, and just in front of it I planted some lily bulbs. I made sure I left plenty of room for everything to fill in. I know I'll add another lavender plant and possibly more bulbs. I need to mulch it as that spot gets fierce sun during the summer and we have a well. Need to think of water conservation all the time. The screen house is up now. Need to set it up to eat out there. Got to bring the mini-fridge out and the tables and chairs and some storage bins and the grill moved closer (this time positioned so you can SEE what you are freaking grilling after sunset). I think M and the mouses will do that. I don't have much more that I can do without some money. Burning season is prematurely over due to a sudden dry spell. No, not a drought, a dry spell. *SIGH* Hello early brush fire season, good bye to getting the rest of the brush cut/cleared and burnt!

Today I also got some branches cut down from over the fish ponds. It's a damn Choke Cherry- messy trees. They get crap all over the place in various stages of growth during the season. My advice? Cut them right down. Unfortunately, The ponds need shade and that's it. But I pruned the hell out of it.

Then I watered and fertilized the new stuff, picked rocks and roots and witch grass, changed the birdbaths and puttered. And got crisped by the sun. Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day. NOTE: hat, sunblock, t-shirt that covers more skin and get into the shade. More pics coming soon. I'm pretty much done for the night.

Commercial Break

$90 ticket to the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game.

$25 for parking.

$6.50 for a sausage roll.

$4.00 for a pretzel.

$3.50 for a bottle of water.

$4.00 for a bag of cotton candy.

$5.00 for a program.

$2.00 for a bag of chips.

Ogling Jason Varitek's ass all night?

Priceless.

For SS, this song just popped into my head when I was talking to you...*LOVES YA!*

For SS and her Moo Moo.

GO SOX! Red Sox/Yankees Game 04-13-08

Went to the Red Sox vs Yankee's game last night. Was REALLY cold. Everyone was in snow suits and no less than 4 layers. At least the smart people were. I actually got some great pics this time. We had the best seats I personally have ever sat in before. Gate D off Yawkey way, section 15, loge box 112, row AA, seat 6. They were walkway traffic seats. No matter.
We were right behind the Sox dugout and a clear view of Dice-k and V-Tek.

I must say. Tek has one heck of an a$$. And thighs like sequoias. He's so hot.
Of course I got Manny being Manny...
And Youk...Remember I told you it was cold?

The BC Eagles Hockey Team were honored on the field for winning their championship...We saw Wally... And I got a ton of other pics. To many to post here. (: All in all, it was a good time. I'll more than likely post my Sox pics on my Myspace if I remember how! OH! LOL! Boston won, 8-5.

Unconscious Mutterings 271

Silence :: peace

Wall :: blocked

Killed :: wasted

Wishful :: thinking

Poodle :: ugh

Sullen :: grumpy

Do not disturb :: shhhhhh

Philadephia :: story

Anticipation :: carly simon

Sidewalk :: chalk

Unconscious Mutterings *270*

Stuffed :: mushrooms
Gills :: I wish
Distance :: far
Panties :: undies
Checkered :: flag
Fill in :: the blanks
Taunting :: Monty Python
Diner :: Betty's
Pizza :: Greek
Best friend :: Sara

Feeling Peevish

Grumble, mumble. It's NOT pouring out. I see BLUE SKY. Wtf? I just sat out on the front step sipping tea and pondering the weather. Saw the people who must own the property across the street doing clean up. I want to go over and pick their Daffodils. I'd have to be sneaky about it. Wait 'til night, put on cammies. It's just a field with a barn, no people live there. An old house foundation peeks out of the ground next to the barn. But nosey neighbors abound. I know since I'm one of them. But still, I might just go help myself to a few flowers. SHUSH! Like you haven't gone and picked someone elses flowers before!

Trying to figure out if I really am just kidding or not.

Auntie KK has me feeling really guilty. The leaves were whispering louder at me to please rake them out. Nope, IIIII CAN'T HEAAARRRRRR YOUUUUUU!!!! *SIGH* I'm going to borrow SS and J's leaf blower for that.

Auntie KK, get the "Cape Cod Special" grass seed. Run to the hardware store on Main St, Ace Bradfords, and ask for the hardy type grass they use on Cape. (they still employ people who know what they are talking about) It's a mix I think, tough as anything and easy to grow. SS's J could even tell you -he is working on his lawn tomorrow.

Just scratch the ground and throw it down evenly and keep it watered. Don't walk on it. There you go. Auntie KK will have a lawn! Every time I've seeded, and mind you- not a professional, I've just thrown it down and done the above. Comes up like a miracle. J can give you tips on fertilizers and such to keep it going. Ohhh... I hear thunder. Good. I hope it pours. I have Design on a Dime on( My fav HGTV show!), a cup of tea next to me and guilt sitting on my right shoulder.

I'm doing a pretty good job of ignoring it.

Wow, ending on a crash of thunder!

How cool is THAT!

It's pouring out now.

I feel much better!

E>~*SATURDAY*~<3

I am torn.

I really need to tear my room apart.

I need to wash some dirty laundry and put away a lot of clean laundry.

I could dust and vacuum.

Put the room BACK together.

Store some stuff in the closet.

Neatly.

You know- "C-H-O-R-E-S".

Hmmm.

Here's the rub.

It's going to pour.

A VERY crappy, non-green thumb day.

This sounds like a day to grab a well loved book and chill on the bed with HGTV on kind of day.

With a hot cup of tea next to me.

And some snack type food.

I feel guilty already.

Plus I may want to actually blog something that might actually be interesting instead of blah, blah, blah. And best of all? It's a day to myself. NO-ONE will be home. Peace and stillness in the house. No other people noises, no having to make conversation or helping out, nothing. I could just sit and do nothing.

Hmph.

I feel the guilt nibbling away at me already.

I'm not even Catholic.

*sigh*

Now I just might have to actually DO something!

Anybody else have Saturday dilemma's out there?

The Green Thumb Project (Thursday)

It was a beautiful day! Unlike Auntie KK, I was not lured by the siren's call of leaf raking. It is my most hated thing. That and picking sticks. Puh-lease. Those are for child labor... But no kids around here to pay! Any who. I went to Lowe's. I picked out some of the dark-purple-light-swallowing pansies, some pinks (they smelled sooo good!!!!), some rose/flower feeder/bug killer type stuff, some lily bulbs and some gladiola bulbs and a huge bag of Miracle Grow Moisture Hold Soil. or something like that.

So, I planted the pansies. I just couldn't resist. We are still in frost danger. They're on their own. I was dying to plant the pinks. And the glads. And the lillie's and all the rest for that matter. It's killing me not to go plant everything yet!!! I don't even have the garden bed dug and enriched. *SIGH* Plus I know we could get a killing frost or two feet of snow at any moment. I really just kind of puttered around. I fertilized my roses and sprinkled anything else with new growth on it with the stinky stuff. I weeded a little here and there. The hated Witch Grass plucking is a never ending battle. I also moved the decorative fencing around a little more to suit myself. I forgot to take a pic of that. You'll see it soon. I mooned over the pit that is to be the "big" fish pond. I played in the bone chilling water of the small pond. I bought fish food too. My mom tells me don't feed the fish until the water is consistently over fifty degrees. Um. I fed the fish any way. I cleared some more trash up.

I basically just enjoyed the warmth and puttering. I did put some old screens over the pansies. I don't want them to be pummeled to death by the torrential rain we are supposed to get. We need to do some slash and burning around here! And all it does is rain and be freakin' windy as heck! GRRR! Ah well. Hopefully before the burning season is over. I can't wait for the end of frost season. I have seeds and seedlings to get dirty!

Gift Wrapping With Ferret's

Clear large space on table for wrapping present.
Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and shut door.
Open door and remove ferret from closet.
Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper.
Go back and remove ferret from cupboard.
Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc...
Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed.
Go back to drawer to get string, remove ferret that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string.
Remove present from bag.
Remove ferret from bag.
Open box to check present, remove ferret from box, replace present.
Lay out paper to enable cutting to size.
Try and smooth out paper, realize ferret is underneath and remove ferret.
Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight.
Throw away first sheet as ferret chased the scissors, and tore the paper.
Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting ferret in the bag the present came in.
Place present on paper.
Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize ferret is between present and paper. Remove ferret.
Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape.
Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from ferret with pair of nail scissors.
Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible.
Look for roll of ribbon. Chase ferret down hall in order to retrieve ribbon.
Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn.
Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to ferret's enthusiastic ribbon chase.
Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper.
Decide to skip steps 13-17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of paper.
Put present in box, and tie down with string.
Remove sting, open box and remove ferret.
Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for locked room.
Once inside lockable room, lock door and start to relay out paper and materials.
Remove ferret from box, unlock door, put ferret outside door, close and relock.
Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear ferret from outside door)
Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best)
Discover ferret has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because ferret helped with this last year as well.
Return to lockable room, lock door, and sit on toilet and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable.
Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas.
Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job.
Unlock door, and go to kitchen to make drink and feed ferret.
Spend 15 minutes looking for ferret until coming to obvious conclusion.
Unwrap present, untie box and remove ferret.
Go to store and buy a gift bag.

-Author Unknown

I don't deserve My Innergeek score. *TOTAL GEEK*

I just learned how to hyperlink a word.

By myself.

I am so proud of me!

I had asked a geek-type friend of mine to teach me, but I got tired of waiting.

So I googled it.

Yes, you heard me!

I GOOGLED IT.

I *HEART* GOOGLE!

And I lucked out at finding a very simple "How To".

WOOT!

Now I'm just showing off.

*roflsnorting*

Just highlight the word/words in your blog first, then click the hyperlink button and paste the link.

*BTW: "total Geek" is a low score.

Jeezums!