Carrying the light, how Pascha renews us

“Christ is risen from the dead,

Trampling down death by death,

And upon those in the tombs

Bestowing life!”

This comes from the Paschal Troparion, the hymn chanted again and again on Holy Saturday during the Resurrection service.

Pascha — Easter — is the greatest religious holiday in Greece. It gathers families, friends, and entire villages into one shared celebration of life.

When the priest’s candle is lit and the flame is passed from hand to hand, the whole church fills with the Holy Light. Each person holds their own candle, symbolizing the light of Christ — rebirth, and the victory of life over death. Focusing on your candle as you walk is something deeply personal, almost like carrying a new beginning in your hands.

Then the priest leads us around the church three times, candles glowing, the church bell ringing through the night. Walking around the church three times represents the three days Christ spent in the tomb, the Holy Trinity, and the movement from darkness into the light of the Resurrection. It feels as though we are not just circling the church, but drawing closer to our faith — to the promise of a new beginning, and to that quiet sense that all will be well.

When the service ends, we break our fast with magiritsa, the traditional soup that marks the shift from fasting to feasting. Simple and comforting, it is the first taste of rejoicing after the long journey of Lent.

On the Monday after Easter, we honor a beautiful tradition in Ikaria — one that is, in many ways, just as meaningful as the feast of Easter itself.

In the past, not every family had the means to prepare a full Easter meal. So the village created a custom to ensure that everyone, regardless of circumstance, could share in the feast. Each household brought what they could — a dish, wine, bread, greens, a bit of meat — and together it became more than enough for the entire community.

It was a way of saying:

No one celebrates alone.

No one goes without.

Life is shared.

This is deeply Ikarian — the instinct to care for one another quietly, naturally, without making it charity, simply community.

The tradition continues today. Tomorrow after church, we will gather in the church hall to break bread together. Relatives, neighbors, friends visiting from afar — everyone is welcome. Sharing the meal, the wine, and the conversation seems to strengthen the bonds between us, as if the act of gathering renews our connection in the same way Pascha renews our faith.

For many of you, Easter has come and gone.

But may the feeling and promise of Pascha — the light, the renewal, the hope — follow you through the year.