Orthodox Easter 2021

 

Today was Greek Orthodox Easter, and yes I am burning an Easter candle on my very unorthodox pagan altar.  I like to think that Jesus would have been cool with it.  I generally picture him as this Jewish dude who smoked cannabis and drank a bit too much wine.

Dino’s god father dropped off bags of goodies for the kids this week, including a giant tsoureki, thank the Gods because that meant I didn’t have to turn on my oven in this heat.  My children devoured it in three days. I toasted it with Irish butter, I’m a true New Yorker, combining all my heritages!

This is Ana’s candle which says kalo pascha on it.  Dino’s candle is rectangular and I don’t know how I’m going to place it anywhere to burn, so in the closet it went.  What you’re supposed to do is go to church for midnight mass and light your candles off the priest’s own candle, then bring that flame home where you bless your door three times before entering.  Yes, totally pagan, I know.  Thanks to Covid, there isn’t midnight mass, our priests are married so we’re not desperate to keep churches open (that’s a little Catholic Church humor for you).  

Seeing as I’m for all intents and purposes a Wiccan High Priestess, I can create my own flame, bless my own damn candles and further more, bless my own damned doorway, which believe me, my apartment is ultra orthodox protected to the extreme.  Honestly at this point it’s only missing a mezuzah, which would be the icing on the ecclesiastical cake, or wafer if you’re not the fun type of Christian, we Greeks have actual cakes often made with booze in our churches.

My only regret is that I didn’t cook lamb.  Usually I go to Whole Foods and buy a gorgeous leg that I marinate for 24 hours with a secret Greek recipe, and roast on low for 3 hours until it’s succulent and tender.  The juices render down into the potatoes and then frozen peas are added to further soak up the sizzling fat.  But, Whole Foods in Weehawken doesn’t sell the good stuff, too many vegans around here, and it was 80 degrees today, so no oven for me.  We had spaghetti instead, like some fascist Italians.

And now it is time for this heathen to go to bed.

Hristos anesti!

☦️