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Tuesday 12 April 2011

Preparing Holy Week

Monday 11 April 2011

Easter traditions from Greece -Lazarakia

Starting from Shrove Monday (or as we call it, Clean Monday), 7 weeks before Holy Week, is the fasting period for Easter. An old tradition is to keep a weekly calendar for these 7 weeks by making a paper doll which has no mouth on her face and 7 attached legs. This doll symbolizes the fast=she has no mouth because she should not eat uncontrollable. Her eyes look to the ground showing modesty, her arms are joined for a prayer and, by detaching one leg per week they used to count the weeks before the Holly Week. Nowadays, we draw a paper doll, called 'kira Sarakosti' (=lady of the fasting period).

Just before the Palm Sunday is the Lazarus Saturday. That day children make small idols (Lazarakia) from salty dough (proportion: 1kilo flour to 2 kilos salt) to look like a dead body wrapped with shroud.

They decorate them with cloves and dry them in low temperature in the oven.

Sometimes they paint them with joyful colours or decorate with flowers because Lazarus resurrection also symbolizes the reborn of nature, based on the ancient Greek myth of Persephone.

The same day children decorate a basket with colorful ribbons and flowers, and go from door to door singing a carol about Lazarus.

One child is usually dressed as Lazarus, wrapped with a white sheet and flower wreath but not singing, only leading the group of singing children. In old days people treated kids with fruits, cookies, walnuts, almonds and fresh eggs that were to be painted red on Holy Thursday.

We uploaded a brief video where Maria is showing us how Lazarakia are made:

And here is another version, viewed from another side:

Here is a video with the B2 class singing the Lazarous carols.

Happy Easter

Tuesday 22 February 2011

February's topic

TZAMI (old game from Greece)

The game is played in open space with two teams.
What we need: 1 air ball, a stack of 7 pieces house-top piles.

The game begins after choosing by lot which team will start having possession of the ball. Let’s call it team A.

We put the piles-stack in the center of a circle drawn on the ground.

Outside of this circle:
Team A stands in a row in small distance.
Team B forms a semi-circle around the drawn circle, opposite team A.

Each player from team A rolls the ball trying to tumble the piles-stack. When someone succeeds, team B spreads the piles into the circled area,

counts 1-2-3 and on 3 they take possession of the ball. Team B now start passing the ball to each other trying to hit and “burn” the members of team A who are trying to rebuild the piles-stack. The “burned” players get out of the game.
Team B must pass the ball quickly as if the ball is “burning” their hands.

Final goal of the game is for:
Team A to rebuild the piles-stack and shout ‘TZAMI’ before all members get “burned”.
Team B to “burn” and put out of the game all members of team A not allowing them to rebuild the piles-stack.

Bellow I attach the link of footage from the game uploaded on youtube. You will notice that children have black and red t-shirts to be easily distinguished. The game was a bit messy, I apologize! We hadn't played it for days and due to constant rain we had to play it indoors. But we really enjoyed it. If you want to try it too and need further guidance, please ask.

Greetings to all from Drama, Greece.