By Kathy Karageorgiou
Easter is the most important religious, and celebration event for Greeks. In Australia, the Greek community keeps this faith based tradition alive. In fact, Greek Orthodox Easter and its rituals have been admirably maintained and enacted so fervently by Greeks in Australia, that they form a key rite of passage to our Greek heritage, for second and third generation Greek-Australians.
Speaking to a few Greek Australians who have made Greece their permanent home, I encounter some interesting and surprising memories of their Easter observations and subsequent celebrations back home in Australia.
Kris Koutsogiorgos, in her early 50s moved from Australia to Greece in the 1980’s. Now a hotel receptionist in Mykonos, Kris tells me that she enjoys Easter much more now, than she did in Australia, Mykonos aside.
Kris says, “I love Easter now – even in Athens. I really enjoy the Spring weather, and it all fits in with rebirth and a new dawning.”
Asking her whether Easter was one her favourite memories growing up in Australia, she states without a moments hesitation:
“It was horrible. I didn’t enjoy it at all. The fasting forced onto me by my parents; the being dragged out of bed to go to Church at midnight. Bad memories.”
She relates to me that she spent her childhood years in a Victorian country town and recalls, “we’d drive an hour to get to the Greek church. I remember one year, we had to stop at the side of the road so I could vomit, because of fasting, and of course no breakfast before the koinonisma (Holy Communion), so I felt sick.”
Kris recalls how hard her mother in particular, tried to keep Greek traditions alive, “in what has become my defteri patrida – second home now”, she says, referring to Australia. This perhaps triggers Kris’ ensuing happy memories of Easter in Australia, whereby she professes, “The most positive memory of Greek Easter in Australia was mum’s cooking aromas of tsoureki, koulouria and lamb. To this day I do this for my kids too, with the house smelling of mamadistika (mamma’s), Easter food treats.”
Also in his 50s, Greek-Australian Konstantinos Gilos, a translator, settled in Greece permanently in his early twenties. He has fond memories of Easter.
“I remember in primary school in Australian, the teacher used to take a vote on the day before Good Friday, to see how many kids would be coming to school the next day,” explaining that as it was a predominantly Greek neighbourhood back then in his Melbournian suburb: “On Good Friday, our school was practically empty!” he laughs.
Konstantinos’ reminiscings of Easter memories in Australia, include his favourite football team to this day: “Every year, I used to wear my Richmond footy jumper to church on the Anastasi (resurrection of Christ celebration) night, even though my relatives didn’t appreciate it” he adds smiling.
Relating with a mixture of pride and sadness, he tells me that the Easter soup ‘mageritsa’ was his now deceased, Dad’s specialty. “He did it all, from scratch himself, though he wasn’t a lamb on the spit man – my Uncle did that.”
He skeptically notes, “Years ago, I remember the ‘go back home wogs’ being yelled out, and that kind of ruined it to a degree.
“Although we tried in Oz to make the most of our Greek Easter tradition, it’s much better for me here – more authentic,” Konstantino muses.
s Olga Leventis, a social worker and a Greek-Australian in Greece who has been here for decades, and who is also in her early 50s, speaks about feeling very proud of being part of Greek Easter, celebrated so traditionally in Australia. Olga states, “I think the Greek community in Australia did a great job preserving our culture and traditions.”
She describes enjoying all the Easter Church practices and services in Australia, but mainly “the good time in bringing the family and relatives together”, adding with a smile “And the lamb on the spit: I loved the ‘petsa’ (the skin).”
Olga’s only qualms about Greek Easter in Australia, involve the often “bad Autumn weather”, and, “the police”! She earnestly divulges, that “the police overdid it when it came to our Anastasi night celebrations. They would cordon off the area, so they could control the firecrackers going off, so for me, their presence spoiled the atmosphere quite a bit.”
Otherwise describing feelings of “sweet nostalgia” in thinking back about Greek Easter in Australia, Olga relates that she prefers it here, whereby, “Everyone seems to be involved here”, referring to Greece’s more homogenous culture, adding “but the sense of community I felt in Australia at Easter shaped my character.”
She adamantly expresses, “Even if the Greek language begins to fade in Australia’s third generation Greek-Australians, I hope our traditions, like the ever important Easter, continue.”
Kris, Konstantino and Olga may claim to enjoy Easter more in Greece. But, the sharing of their memories about Easter in Australia, testify that the foundations of their Greek heritage, passed on to them by their parents in Australia, have played a crucial role in their appreciation of Easter in Greece.
After all, the Greek Easter experience while growing up in Australia, has, for this second generation of Greek Australians in Greece, empowered them to seamlessly adapt to, participate in and enjoy Easter in Greece.
