WHITESTONE – The students at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Day School celebrated Easter and the Anastasi on April 10, their first day back at school after their Easter break. They sang Christos Anesti, cracked red eggs, and enjoyed tsoureki, koulourakia, and other Greek traditional Easter sweets.

Eleni Bournis, Vice President of the Holy Cross Day School PTA, told The National Herald, “All children from Nursery to Third grade participated. The principal Mr. Theodore Kusulas, school staff, PTA members and class parents/yiayias were present. It was very beautiful.”

She added, “We at Holy Cross School are very proud of our Hellenic roots, our Community of Learners, which works hard, plays hard, and values the beliefs of being an Orthodox Christian to the Greek American community, at large.”

The practice of tsougrisma (clashing) is symbolic of the breaking open of the tomb through Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. Participants try to crack each other’s egg. Whoever cracks everyone else’s eggs is the winner and is said to have good luck for the rest of the year. The eggs are dyed red for the blood of Jesus, while the egg itself represents His sealed tomb which is then cracked open through the Resurrection and symbolically through the cracking of the eggs.

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Day School students cracked the traditional red eggs for Easter with Head of School, Ted Kusulas. Photo: Eleni Bournis

The Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Day School students and teachers cracked the traditional red eggs for Easter. Photo: Eleni Bournis