Last Friday, the parish of Saint Dimitrios Moonee Ponds held its pioneering immersive Children’s Easter Holiday Program.
Over 100 children of all ages were given a crash course in all things pertaining to Orthodox Easter.
The children participated in a re-enactment of the Raising of Lazarus and the Last Supper. They were taught how to read the icons of Holy Week and to identify their symbolism.
Children also learnt the traditional carols sung in Greece on the Saturday of Lazarus and were introduced to the customs of Holy Week: they baked lazarakia, paschal koulouria, they dyed and decorated their paschal eggs, as well as decorating their Easter Candles.
The teachers who conducted the program took pains to provide the children with an understanding of the unique Orthodox perspective regarding Easter and some of the participants then went on to chant the Apodeipnon and the Canon of Lazarus at Saint Dimitrios Church.
The program was attended by children of all ages, and significantly of diverse ethnicities.
