Easter events in Corfu Town

CORFU. Following are the events that will be taking place in Corfu Town over Easter:

Holy Monday (29/4)

21:00 'Mantzaros' Philharmonic Society concert dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis and Peace.

21:00 Kinopiastes Philharmonic Society concert with religious music at the Saints Jacob and Christopher Catholic Cathedral (Duomo).

Holy Tuesday (30/4)

21:30 Poetry & Music Night "From Golgotha to Resurrection." Organised by the Corfu Events Organisation (OKE) in the Archangel Michael and Saint George Colonnade.

20:30 Korakiana 'Spyros Samaras' Philharmonic Society musical ensemble concert at the Holy Catholic Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.

20:30 Corfu Conservatory concert with Religious Music at Saint George' Church, Old Fortress.

Holy Wednesday (1/5)

19:00 At the All Saints Church in Corfu Town, the Holy Metropolis "Saint Arsenios" Ecclesiastical Music Choir chanting, led by Archbishop Nektarios.

20:30 Skripero Philharmonic Society concert at Saint George' Church, Old Fortress.

Holy Thursday (2/5)

20:00 Cathedral of the Catholic Saints Jacob and Christopher (Duomo) - Catholic Archbishop, Father Giorgos Altoubas, symbolically washes the feet of twelve children. Following this, late in the evening is the ceremony of the Holy Hour (adoration of the Divine Eucharist - the All-Holy Mystery).

Good Friday (3/5)

All the churches in the town organise their Epitaphio processions, in a specific order and arrangement, involving the participation of musical ensembles, choirs, schools, scouts, and others. The church choirs, especially the Metropolitan Church, as well as the Municipal Choir, sing solemnly the "Praises," while appropriate pieces performed by the philharmonic bands include adaptations from classical works: "Adagio" by Albinoni and "Descent into Hades" by the 'Old' Corfu Philharmonic Society, "La Madruga" by Abel Moreno Gomez, "Marcia Funebre" by Verdi, and "Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo, by the 'Mantzaros' Philharmonic Society, as well as the mournful elegy "Sventura" by Mariani and "Funeral March" by Chopin by the 'Capodistrias' Philharmonic Society.

Epitaphio processions

12:30 Agia Eirini (General Hospital)

Agios Artemios (Police Headquarters, Old Hospital)

14:00 Pantokrator Church (Campielo)

Spilaotissis Church (New Fortress). Organised by Corfu Naval Station

15:30 Agios Nikolaos of Loutro (Agios Nikolaos Gate). Organised by Corfu Scouts

16:00 Agios Georgios (Old Fortress). Organised by Corfu Events Organisation

16:30 Agios Panteleimonas (Psychiatric Hospital)

17:00  Agia Eufimia Monastery (Mon Repos)

Odigitrias-Panagiotoula (Port of Remounta). Organised by Corfiot Expression Association

17:30  Kassopitra Monastery (Figaretto)

Analipsis Church (Analipsi)

Agios Georgios (Mandouki)

18:00 All Saints Church (Town)

Anastaseos Church (First Municipal Cemetery)

 Agios Theodoros Monastery(Stratia)

18:30 Agia Paraskevi (Porta Remounta)

19:00 Agios Iasonas and Sosipatros (Garitsa)

Agios Antonios (Spilia)

Agia Triada (Garitsa)

Agios Konstantinos and Eleni (Koulines)

Kimiseos Mamalon (Lofos Kogevina)

19:15 Agia Sophia (Jewish Quarter)

Vlachernon Church (Garitsa)

19:30 Agios Eleftherios (Kofineta)

Agios Spyridon Saroko (Kotsela)

Three Martyrs Church (Garitsa)

Faneromenis / Panagia ton Xenon Church (Plakada)

20:00 Agios Vasileios (Pinia)

Agios Ioannis tou Lazou (Kefalomantouko)

Agia Barbara (Potamos)

Agios Nikolaos Alykon (Alykes)

All Saints Church (Gouvia)

20:15 Agios Nikolaos ton Geron (Campielo)

20:30 Agios Ioannis (Piazza)

20:45 Agioi Iakovos & Christoforos (Catholic Metropolitan Church / Duomo)

21:00 Agios Spyridon. Epitaphio inside the church, accompanied by Corfu Philharmonic Society

Agia Triada (Kontokali)

22:15 Spilaotissis, Metropolitan Church (Spilia)

Easter Saturday (4/5)

06:00 Reenactment of earthquake following Christ's resurrection at Panagia Xenon Church in St. Spyridon Square (Plakada).

09:00 Church of Saint Spyridon. Epitaphios procession combined with procession of the Saint’s holy relics. The three Corfu Town Philharmonic Bands will take part. The ‘Old’ Band play the funeral march from Faccio’s Opera ‘Amleto’, the ‘Blue’ band play de Michelis’ funeral march ‘Calde Lacrimae’ (Hot tears) and the Capodistrias Band play from Beethoven’s funeral march from the Eroica Symphony.

11.00 The first Resurrection followed by throwing of clay pots ("botides").

11:01 Another old custom of Corfu Town residents is the “mastella”, a great half barrel placed at the heart of the town, Pinia. The barrel is filled with water and decorated with myrtle and palm leaves. Passers-by throw coins in it and make a wish. When the church bells ring at 11 a.m. the person standing closest to the barrel is pushed into it. As compensation for getting soaked to the bone on a day like this, he gets all the money in the barrel.  (Organised by Corfu Events Organisation)

21:00 Easter Vigil Devotional at the Catholic Cathedral (Duomo) with ecclesiastical music and choir and officiated by the Catholic Archbishop Ioannis Spiteris. The ceremony ends at 23:00

22:00 Reception of the Holy Fire from the Holy Sepulchre. This takes place at the Pentofanaro (Liston) in the presence of local dignitaries. The Holy Fire is taken to the Church of Saint Paraskevi where the Devotional for the Resurrection begins, led by the Archbishop Nektarios of Corfu. Recently the ceremony has been established for the reception of the Holy Fire by the Catholic Archbishop from the Orthodox Archbishop during the procession to the Church of Saint Paraskevi in Porta Remounda.

23:00 Commencement of the Devotional Vigil for the Resurrection at the Church of Saint Paraskevi in Porta Remounda.

23:40 The procession sets out from the Church of Saint Paraskevi towards the stage in the Upper Square led by the Archbishop of Corfu Nektarios. The Resurrection is celebrated there and ‘Christos Anesti’ (Christ is Risen) is chanted and the three Philharmonic Bands play in a spectacular atmosphere.

There are Resurrection services in the following churches: St. Spyridon, All Saints, Virgin Mary ton Xenon, Saint Iasonas and Sosipatros, Three Holy Martyrs, Dormition of Holy Mary belonging to the Mamalos family, Saint Constantine and Helen (Koulines), All Saints (Gouvia) and the following monasteries: Platyteras, Saint Efthimia, Kassopitras (Kanoni) and Saint Theodoros (Stratia).

Easter Sunday (5/5)

09:00 – 11:00 Most churches in Corfu hold the Holy Resurrection Liturgy based on the old tradition. There is also a litany with an icon of the Lord’s Resurrection according to Byzantine tradition as is also done in the Aegean Islands and in the Slav Orthodox countries.

Processions with the Resurrection Icon in Corfu Town
07.30 - Church of Saint Sophia in the Jewish quarter
07.45 - Metropolitan Church Spilaiotissis (Spilia) / Church of All Saints (Agion Panton).
08.15 - Church of Saint Spyridon (San Rocco Square-Kotsela)
08.30 - Church of the Assumption in Analipsi (Kanoni) / Saint Eleftherios (kofinetta) / St. George in Mantouki / Church of Virgin Mary ton Xenon (strangers) in Plakada (Saint Spyridon square) / Church of Holy Virgin Mary Vlahernon (Garitsa)
08.45 - Church of Saint Vasilios in Pinia / St. Paraskevi (Porta Remounda)
09.00 - Church of Saint Antonios in Spilia / Panagia ton Xenon / St. Ioannis in Piazza / Church of Saint Nikolaos (Cambiello)
10.00 - Church of Saint Spiridon in Plakada with the 'Old' Corfu Philharmonic Band playing Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser’ and ‘Mantzaros’ Philharmonic Band playing Kritkos’ ‘Marcia Trionfale’’
18.00 - Church of Holy Trinity in Garitsa.
19:30 Evensong of Love at the Metropolitan Church with the Archbishop of Corfu Nektarios reading the Gospels in all languages.

Easter Tuesday (7/5)

18:00 At the Church of Saint Spyridon the holy relics of Saint Spiridon are ceremoniously placed back into the crypt in the presence of local dignitaries and with the two oldest Corfu Philharmonic Bands.