SYDNEY – The Ouzo Talk Podcast for the Greek diaspora dedicated the latest episode to Greek Orthodox Easter with co-hosts Tom Skolarikis and Nick Athanassiou taking a deep-dive into the annual holiday and how it’s celebrated.

From traditions like fasting, baking tsourekia, painting red eggs, and going to church, to the more bizarre traditions of throwing large pottery over the balcony in Corfu and firing homemade rockets at a neighboring village’s church in Chios, the Greek-Australian duo cover it all.

“Easter is such an important time that’s all about family, and no matter where we are in the world, us Greeks have our own unique ways of celebrating,” said Athanassiou. “It’s a great time of year and I’ve just got really fond memories as a kid – Mum and Dad, my brother and sister – we’d go to church. I look forward to it every year and even now as an adult, I’m experiencing it through my kids.”

But while Easter celebrations in the diaspora are always a lavish affair, it’s the traditions in Greece that attract much of the attention on the podcast. One of those featured traditions includes the Easter Saturday celebration of ‘Proti Anastasi’ (First Resurrection) on the island of Corfu, known locally as the ‘kanates’, or ‘botides’ (the pots) on the island.

Some hundred thousand spectators descend on Corfu Town’s main square on Holy Saturday to witness the bizarre sight of large pottery being thrown from windows and balconies and smashing to the ground in what is a centuries-old tradition on the island.

For Skolarikis – whose family all hail from the island – it’s a must-see for anyone lucky enough to be on the island during the Easter period.

“Corfu is one of those places that has some awesome Easter traditions – so much so that a lot of Greeks actually go to Corfu to experience it because of the spectacle,” he said. “It was really special for us to be able to talk about Easter and how we celebrate it globally on Ouzo Talk. We hope that as Greeks the world-over prepare for Easter this year, they’ll join us by listening in and having a laugh with us.”

Listen to the Ouzo Talk Podcast online: https://bit.ly/3JSOWyu.