In the blessed countryside of Greece

[Mary Naeem]

In the blessed countryside of Greece, the priests have the custom of liturgising every day during Renewal Week in every one of the country chapels attached to their Parish, so that the victory song of the Resurrection can be heard further out from the town. And many are they that go out to the countryside for those Resurrectional Liturgies. They remind us of Papadiamantis, combining the joy of Paschal worship with the joy of nature in Spring. On the Holy Mountain (Mt. Athos) the monks celebrate litanies from the monasteries to various “Kathismata” and in the gardens, where we usually find a small chapel and where an Agiasmos is celebrated. This brings the joy of the Resurrection to the plants and trees, which supply various fruits throughout the year for the monks’ austere table.