Dear Friend,
I awoke this morning to church bells chiming throughout the village... the clangs resounding off of the concrete houses and walls. Church begins at 7:30 a.m. with the priest and only the most traditional members of the village. The service goes on for a few hours with people joining along the way and eventually sharing in communion. Today was also a memorial service for a 19 year old boy who had died in an automobile accident 40 days ago. Memorial service are held at 3 days, 9 days, 40 days, 6 months and 1 year. (Bodies are exhumed after 3 years and placed in an ossuary due to space issues.) Families visit the grave every evening for the first 40 days and light a long thin beeswax candle for their loved one. By the 40th day, the grave site has been built into a marble tomb. Behind each tomb is a metal box holding oil and matches and other items to tend to the grave site. Oil lamps are lit on the grave on Saturday night for the Sunday service.
After the memorial service, people lined up to receive a piece of cake and κόλλυβα (Kollyva)... a boiled wheat dish with sugar, spices, nuts and dried fruit. We then walked to the center of town with the boy's family to have a Greek coffee and unsweetened biscuits and pay our respects.
Below is a picture of my Aunt Voula's grave. Jason, Kolya and I traveled to Arfara in January to attend her funeral. It is typical to bury the dead the next day, but her funeral was held for our arrival. As a result, we held her funeral and 3-day memorial on the same day. During the burial, the casket is lowered into the ground and the face covered with a white cloth. Wheat, olive oil and earth are added to the casket by the priest as you say your final goodbye. Then, everyone goes to the village cafes for raisin brandy, coffee and unsweetened biscuits provided by the family.
It is hard to say goodbye to our loved ones, but I find beauty and comfort in the Greek Orthodox traditions...
XOXO,
Karen June
Stavroula Kapralos - January 15, 2010 (my aunt)
Back of the grave and metal supply box
Memorial Service κόλλυβα and Cake
Post a Comment