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.
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
That's GREAT!!! We love your traditions and we want to make Lazarakia. We have never heard about it.
ReplyDeleteWe'll prepare and upload some information about Polish Easter. I don't know if we'll manage to do it before Easter but we'll try.
Greetings from Poland