It started to get warmer in Greece now, the sun also shows its face from time to time and Easter is coming. Therefore, the 2nd Primary School of Vrontados keeps with traditions and prepares some nice decorations, little presents and baked goods for and with the children.
For us it was also a great fun to participate in these workshops and also to help. We got to know some new rituals, found similarities between Greek customs and those in our homelands.
One of our tasks was e.g. to prepare shapes, templates and outlines for Easter baskets in several classes. We were folding, painting and embellishing the boxes together with the students. As result, every pupil presented us one unique, creative, colorful and cute personal copy.
Of course, all children needed also some filling for their basket. That is why the teachers organized a dyeing of Easter eggs on the next day. All eggs were laid in water and got after that step rolled in strings of all colors which stuck on the wet surface of the eggs. A layer of aluminum foil got wrapped around them. Finally, they got boiled in hot water mixed with vinegar. All Easter eggs were pretty decorated with a mosaic in red, green, orange, yellow, blue and purple.
To every Easter feast in Greece belong the typical biscuits “Koulourakia”. Parents, teachers, students and also we volunteers were preparing this delicacy in School on the Thursday before the official holidays. We even got the chance to try these delicious sweets, since pupils and teachers gave it to us in decorated baskets as an Easter present.
Moreover, some grades were creating their own Easter candles whose lights will lead them home on Saturday evening after the church going. Often all students were sitting together in circles and sang traditional Easter songs. Especially the regional “Lazarus-song” was practiced and the religious background got explained. It was very nice that we got invited to that round of talks.
As Highlight, we joined the children at their walk through the neighborhood of the school and sang with them together the Lazarus songs. Some of the students were carrying self-made Lazarus dolls that they did together with their teachers in crafting lessons. We enjoyed the pleasuring, warm atmosphere, learned a lot about this spring festiveness and we got ourselves in the right Easter feeling.
To see all pictures go into our gallery!
