Greek Easter; it's dynamite!

We have just got back from Greece, where we went for Greek Orthodox Easter. Not because we practice the Greek Orthodox faith, but because we always like to have a warm break in late March or April and Easter is a big spectacle out there, so worth seeing. Easter in Crete is quite something.

We go to our apartment in Agios Nikolaos and just do nothing except chill and soak up the atmosphere for a week. The Easter Saturday evening gathering around their beautiful picturesque lake is like nothing else I have ever experienced; firstly we go out to eat then find ourselves a seat in one of the lakeside cafes. The whole population of the town turns out, all carrying lit candles and then at about five to midnight the procession comes across from the church carrying the icon of the Virgin Mary on a beautiful flower adorned bier. There is a lot of very serious chanting and waving of incense, then on the stroke of midnight (or a little sooner if they can’t wait) and totally drowning out the priest’s incantations an enormous number of fireworks are set off, lighting up the sky for about ten to fifteen minutes with a panorama of colour and sparkle.

Alongside the fireworks, firecrackers and bangers there are also usually, hidden away somewhere because it’s illegal to do it, a few sticks of dynamite being thrown. The first year I experienced this, some local lads threw several sticks of dynamite into the lake and the whole ground shook (the next morning the lake was full of dead fish). This was, if course, somewhat unwise as the lake was originally formed by a volcanic fault line and they still get minor earthquakes there from time to time, as well as the cliff face being covered in fissures and cracks and looking rather fragile. This year the lake was ringed with police, there with the express purpose of stopping the dynamiting, and the culprits were obviously further away. But the deep ‘boom’ is unmistakeable and I think they were being thrown into the harbour, where they would do less damage.

The weather in Crete in April is usually marvellous (last year when I went with friends being a notable exception) and this year didn’t disappoint. The sun shone most days and the temperature was in the mid twenties, roundly beating the south east of England which managed a measly eight degrees. Once or twice we had very strong breezes, which is fairly typical, but overall it was lovely and we managed a few long walks, which is it far too hot to do in summer.

In addition to the sunshine, the early part of the year out there had been exceptionally wet and the landscape was far greener than I have seen it for many years. The tops of the mountains were still covered with a healthy coating of snow which, as my neighbour on the plane pointed out, looked enough to ski on.

I now have another eight weeks before I can go back for two weeks holiday in June, and I am counting the days. By then it will be hotter, less windy and probably all the picturesque snow will have gone. It will also be more crowded and the locals will have less time to talk. But I would still rather be there than here. Roll on 10^th June!