Celebrate Easter in Greece at the time of the coronavirus

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In Greece, where more than 90% of the inhabitants are Orthodox, the feast of Easter, which takes place this weekend and commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the most important religious celebration of the year. It is usually the occasion for many Greeks to meet in the countryside and to invest in the churches, a tradition which has been undermined by confinement since March 23 to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. 

Publicity

With our correspondent in Athens, Joël Bronner

Traditionally, midnight mass on Saturday evening is one of the highlights of the Easter weekend in Greece. If the sound of the bells should still ring in the middle of the night as every year, the believers will not be able to gather in the churches .

As since the start of the so-called "holy" week, many religious ceremonies will be filmed behind closed doors . Celebrations to follow live on screen, at national level, on the public television channel ERT for example, or more locally, on the website of many municipalities and villages. 

A subject that has become sensitive due to the health context linked to Covid-19, Easter has prompted the Greek authorities to communicate for almost 15 days on the importance of confinement despite tradition. Reinforced controls have also been announced both on the country's roads and in churches. 

After the midnight mass, the believers usually go home with a burning candle. A light considered sacred, which cannot be distributed this year. It remains to be seen whether Greek homes will light up anyway, to keep the custom alive. 

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