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Politics

Our Everyday Greek: Which are the Greek Easter traditions? We talk about them in Greek

April 15, 2018
Dimitra Pontoporou

COMMON PHRASES

ΤηΜεγάληΕβδομάδανηστεύουμε.

TEEmeYAlievdoMAdaniSTEvoome.

On Holy Week we fast.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα πηγαίνουμε στην εκκλησία.

TEE meYAlievdoMAdapiYEnoome STEEN ekliSEEa.

On Holy Week we go to church.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα δεν τρώμε ούτε λάδι.

TEE meYAlievdoMAda den TROmeOOteLAdi.

On Holy Week we don’t eat not even olive oil.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα βάφουμε κόκκινα αυγά.

TEE meYAlievdoMAdaVAfoomeKOkinaavYA.

On Holy Week we dye red eggs.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα φτιάχνουμε κουλούρια.

TEE meYAlievdoMAdaftiAhnoomekooLOOria.

On Holy Week we make biscuits.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα φτιάχνουμε τη Λαμπροκουλούρα.

TEE meYAlievdoMAdaftiAhnoome TEE lamprokooLOOra.

On Holy Week we make the Easter bread.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα φτιάχνουμε τσουρέκια.

TEE meYAlievdoMAdaftiAhnoometsooREkia.

On Holy Week we make sweet Easter breads.

Τη Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα ψήνουμε κουλούρια και τσουρέκια.

TEE meYAlievdoMAdaPSEEnoomekooLOOria KE tsooREkia.

On Holy Week we bake biscuits and sweet breads.

Τη Μεγάλη Παρασκευή στον Επιτάφιο ανάβουμε λαμπάδες.

TEE meYAliparaskeVEE STON epiTAfioaNAvoomelaMPAdes.

On Holy Friday at the Epitafios we light up candles.

Το Μεγάλο Σάββατο τη νύχτα πηγαίνουμε στην εκκλησία.

TO meYAloSAvato TEE NEEhtapiYEnoome STEEN ekliSEEa.

On Holy Saturday at night we go to church.

Το Μεγάλο Σάββατο ο παπάς λέει το «Χριστός Ανέστη».

TO meYALoSAvato O paPASLEi TO hriSTOSaNEsti.

On Holy Saturday the priest says  the “Christ is risen” hymn.

Μετά την εκκλησία τρώμε τη μαγειρίτσα

meTA TEEN ekliSEEaTROme TEEN mayiREEtsa.

After the church we eat mayiritsa soup.

Την Κυριακή του Πάσχα ψήνουμε το αρνί στη σούβλα.

TEEN kiriaKEE TOO PAskhaPSEEnoome TO arNEE STEE SOOvla.

On Easter Sunday we roast the lamb on the spit.

Την Κυριακή του Πάσχα τσουγκρίζουμε τα κόκκινα αυγά.

TEEN kiriaKEE TOO PAskhatsooGREEzoome TA KOkinaavYA.

On Easter Sunday we crack red eggs.

Την Κυριακή του Πάσχα τρώμε όλοι μαζί.

TEEN kiriaKEE TOO PAskhaTROme Oli maZEE.

On Easter Sunday we eat all together.

IMPORTANT VOCABULARY

Greek word        Pronunciation    Meaning

ΤηΜεγάληΕβδομάδα    TEEmeYAlievdoMAda    OnHolyWeek

ΤηΜεγάληΠαρασκευή  TEEmeYAliparaskeVEE   OnHoly Friday

ΤοΜεγάλοΣάββατο        TOmeYAloSAvato            On Holy Saturday

ΤηνΚυριακήτουΠάσχα  TEEnkiriaKEETOOPaskha               On Easter Sunday

ΣτονΕπιτάφιο    STONepiTAfio    At the Epitafios

Ηεκκλησία          EEekliSEEa           church

Στηνεκκλησία    STEENekliSEEa   in, to the church

Νηστεύουμε      niSTEvoome       we fast

Πηγαίνουμε       piYEnoome         we go

Φτιάχνουμε       ftiAhnoome       we make, prepare

Ψήνουμε             PSEEnoome        we bake, roast

Βάφουμε             VAfoome            we paint, dye

Ανάβουμε           aNAvoome         we light up

Τρώμε   TROme we eat

Δεντρώμε           DEN TROme       we don’t eat

Τσουγκρίζουμε tsooGREEzoome              we crack

Λέει       LEi           he says

Ηνύχτα                 EENEEhta             night

Τηνύχτα               TEENEEhta          at night

Οπαπάς               OpaPAS                priest

Ούτε      OOte     not even

Τολάδι  TOLAdi  olive oil

Τααυγά                TAavYA eggs

Τακόκκινα          TAKOkina            red

Τακουλούρια    TAkooLOOria     biscuits

ΗΛαμπροκουλούρα       EElamprokooLOOra         Easterbread

Τατσουρέκια     TAtsooREkia       Easter sweet breads

Οιλαμπάδες       EElaMPAdes       candles

Ημαγειρίτσα      EE mayiREEtsa   Holy Saturday’s soup

Χριστόςανέστη hriSTOSaNEsti    Christ is risen

Τοαρνί  TOarNEE              lamb

Στησούβλα         STEESOOvla        on the spit

Όλοι      Oli           all

Μαζί      maZEE   together

BASIC GRAMMAR

Note that the verb’s ending in the first person plural (we) is -ουμε: φτιάχν-ουμε, πηγαίν-ουμε, ψήν-ουμε, νηστεύ-ουμε, ανάβ-ουμε.

EXERCISE

Try to answer the questions below in Greek.

Τι λέμε το Πάσχα;
Τι φτιάχνουμε το Πάσχα;
Τι ψήνουμε το Πάσχα;
Τι τρώμε το Πάσχα;

PRONUNCIATION KEY

i (i-diom), ee (n-ee-dle), e (e-nergy), o (o-rganism), oo (b-oo-t), y (y-es), h (h-elium), th (th-eory), d (th-e). The capitalized syllables are accented.

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