A Village Easter: Memories of Childhood (A Story by Alexandros Papadiamantis)

A Village Easter: Memories of Childhood

By Alexandros Papadiamantis

Uncle Milios never spoke a truer word, when he said the good Christians living outside the town might end up having to celebrate Easter that year without a liturgy. In fact no prophecy was ever closer to fulfillment, for it almost came true twice — but happily God made the authorities see the light, and in the end the poor villagers, local shepherd-farmers, were judged worthy to hear the Word of God and eat the festive eggs.

The cause of all this was the busy little coaster that (supposedly) linked those unhappy islands to the inhospitable shore opposite, and which twice a year, when the season changed in spring or autumn, would almost invariably sink, and as often as not take the whole crew down with it. They would then put the post of captain up for auction, and each time some poor wretch, undaunted by the fate of his predecessor, was found to undertake this most perilous task. And on this occasion, at the end of March, as winter was taking its leave, the coaster had gone down again.

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Nine Movies For Holy Week

Last year, I was asked to compile a list of movies for each day of Holy Week for a friend of mine. I told him I could do that, but none would be a movie straight from the Bible, as I tend to not find those very inspirational nor are they done well, especially the more modern productions. He agreed, and the list below is what I came up with. I re-watched them all, too, and thought this year to share with everyone else. Personally, I think it is a good list, though many other movies can be added. I replaced one movie from last year's list, because I told him that every Holy Saturday, before the midnight service, I had a tradition of going to the movies at the theater, to make sure I kept awake, so I added a movie that can only be seen in the theaters this year, which I think is the best of the bunch of faith-based films. Not wanting to only have older films on the list, I also added a few newer ones. I tend to not like the newer faith-based films, but the other one I chose is my second favorite one of the newer ones. Most of the others are classics that most have seen, but should be re-watched in the context of Holy Week, if you watch any movies during Holy Week. Most of these can be found somewhere online or streaming or On Demand. Enjoy!

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The Easter Sunday When Greeks Asked "How is Lord Byron?" Before Saying "Christ is Risen!"

Lord Byron in Greek/Albanian dress painted by Thomas Phillips in 1835.
Venizelos Mansion, Athens (the British Ambassador's residence)

By John Sanidopoulos

The Philhellene Lord Byron arrived in Missolonghi, Greece on 5 January 1824. Though a wealthy and renowned celebrity at only 35 years old, he gave it all up to help the Greek cause of liberation from the Turks, and his bravery and sacrifice was admired by all. It was not long before his life came to an end however.

On 9 April that same year, having been soaked by a heavy rain while out riding his horse, Byron suffered fever and rheumatic pains. By the twelfth he was seriously ill. Repeated bleedings, which he initially resisted, further debilitated him. On Easter Sunday, he entered a comatose state at 11pm. At six o’clock on the evening of Easter Monday, 19 April 1824, during a violent electrical storm, Byron died, being 36 years old.

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An Orthodox Easter Greeting from Tom Hanks (video)

Greek actor Theocharis Ioannides, who was in Los Angeles on Orthodox Easter (Pascha) Sunday, uploaded to his Instagram account a video of Tom Hanks on stage during a Greek Orthodox Easter celebration that afternoon, where he greets the audience by saying in Greek "Christos Anesti!" (Christ is Risen) and "Alithos Anesti!" (Truly He is Risen) to blues music.

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Robert Powell and His Portrayal of Jesus

By John Sanidopoulos

One of the most pivotal points in my complete conversion to Christianity happened in 1990 during Holy Week. This happened to be a year in which both Eastern and Western Christians celebrated Easter together. Being only 14 years old at the time, this was rare and the first in my memory, and it finally offered me the opportunity to celebrate Holy Week and Easter with the majority of the American people.

It was during this time that I first saw Franco Zeffirellis' 6-hour miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) on television. It absolutely captivated me. I would watch it before and after going to church with my family over the three days it aired, and though by this time I was somewhat familiar with biblical prophecies, it was through this miniseries that I began to study the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. Whenever a prophecy was mentioned, I would write it down and enthusiastically search through my Bible to find the references (this was before the days of the internet). What also stood out to me in this film was the rare reverential and dignified tone to the film and the absolutely superb acting of Robert Powell, the actor who played Jesus.

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"The Donkey" by G.K. Chesterton

Below is a poem by G.K. Chesterton which he wrote regarding Christ's entry into Jerusalem from the perspective of the donkey He was riding.

The Donkey

By G. K. Chesterton

When fishes flew and forests walked

And figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was blood

Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry

And ears like errant wings,

The devil’s walking parody

On all four-footed things.

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What Hans Christian Andersen Said About Greek Easter

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a prolific Danish author and poet, who "introduced the idea of fantasy into children's stories, preparing the climate for Lewis Carroll in the 1860's. And in creating a separate children's world of talking toys and animals, he had a profound effect on later classics of childhood, such as 'The Wind in the Willows' and 'Winnie the Pooh'." (Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller)

Below is an excerpt from Hans Christian Andersen’s travel memoirs A Poet’s Bazaar: A Journey to Greece, Turkey and Up the Danube, about Easter festivities in Greece in the 19th century, specifically the early 1840's.

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James Joyce and Orthodox Holy Week

By John Sanidopoulos

James Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. In a 1922 New York Times profile of Joyce, the following was told of him: "Mr. Joyce has no reverence for organized religion, for conventional morality, for literary style or form. He has no conception of the word obedience, and he bends the knee neither to God nor man." Yet what we find evident from his own testimony and that of his friends is his appreciation of the music and rituals of Orthodox Holy Week services, which he took every opportunity not to miss, whether it be in a Greek or Russian church.

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