On the Friday before Palm Sunday, mothers make “Lazarakia” and the children go around the neighborhoods to sing the carols of the day which are dedicated to the Rise of Lazarus.

On Good Thursday evening after the Mass of the 12 Gospels, women remain in church for the “mourning” for the Lord and then the preparation and decoration of the Epitaph begins.

On Good Friday, after the Mass and the Deposition from the Cross, tradition wants every family to remember their dead by taking flowers to the cemetery. Early in the evening each parish will do the Mass of the Hymns of the day and do the procession of their Epitaph within their parish and then the Kalymnian tradition is for all the Epitaphs from all the Churches to gather at the harbor and have the big procession of the Epitaphs commence. the procession begins. There is quite a crowd but relatively quiet and everyone is chanting the hymns of the day!

Holy Saturday at 12:00, after the First Resurrection, the children burn the scare crow of Judas that hangs in the churchyard. From noon on Holy Saturday, all the housewives are busy preparing for the “mououri”, the stuffed lamb or goat, which is placed in a huge special clay pot, on vines and sealed with dough. It will stay sealed in the old wood oven for almost 24 hours.

 

Late at midnight the Resurrection takes place with the Churches overflowing with people, many Kalymnians abroad prefer to be on their island on Easter, and “Christ is Risen” is sung over and over again by the entire congregation! Christ, our Lord has Risen! By defeating Death he brought humanity out of darkness!

It is spring, the earth has been reborn, the flowers have bloomed and are blooming, the atmosphere is explosively festive, everyone is celebrating! Christ is Risen !