Some Lenten seasons last for six weeks, others for 11 weeks. DimiAna Daskalakis ‘24 and her family celebrate Easter Sunday on the eleventh week of the Greek Orthodox Lenten season, also known as “Greekster.” DimiAna describes this holiday as “a very fun day of celebration with friends and family, where I get to embrace my culture.” To fulfill my curiosity, I asked DimiAna about “Greekster” and what it means to her and her family.
Q: Why do you celebrate Easter Sunday later than the Catholic Church
A: We celebrate Easter later because we follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. It’s not much of a difference, but Orthodox Easter falls on May 5th this year, so it’s later in the Spring season.
Q: Can you give us a rundown of what a typical Greekster is like?
A: Greekster starts bright and early at 12:00 a.m. for midnight mass, where we light candles and go to church. Then I sleep, wake up, prepare for the day, and attend a party at my house. Then I greet everyone and eat all day and night.
Q: What is your favorite part of Greekster?
A: My favorite part of Greekster is celebrating with my friends and family. It doesn’t matter if you’re Orthodox; everyone has a really good time dancing and talking with each other. And the lamb; the lamb is fire.
Q: What would you consider your favorite Greekster food besides the lamb?
A: There are too many to name, but a classic is my mom’s famous lemon potatoes. It’s a classic; you know how good it is if you’ve had it. It’s just potatoes drenched in lemon and olive oil, but it’s so good.
Q: Does your family have any particular “Greekster” traditions?
A: Luckily for me, my real name, Anastasia, means “resurrection,” so we celebrate my name day on Easter because Christ has risen. In Greek Orthodox culture, a name day celebrates your name. It’s basically a birthday for your name. So Jesus and I are both being celebrated on the same day, twins.
Royals, I hope this was a chance for you to learn about a fascinating celebration! If you ever have the chance to celebrate Greek Orthodox Easter, I encourage you to take that opportunity. Christos anesti! Christ is risen!
Elizabeth Flati • Apr 25, 2024 at 1:33 pm
Can I get some of those lemon potatoes?