Santorini is a magnificent place and especially during Easter seductively unveils its hidden secrets. Whether you are in the mood of exploring Easter traditions or just viewing the locals celebrate Holy week (the week before Easter), Santorini always offers you an original and unforgettable experience.

The Holy week on the island was full of smells and flavors. The ladies prepared the local delicacies for Easter such as Tsourekia (a type of brioche), special Easter cookies, as well as melitinia (the most famous sweet pastries during these days) that filled the air with mouth-watering smells.

Holy Week During Easter In Santorini

Each day of the holy week was ideal to enter a church and relax. Even if you didn’t understand the words there was a certain feeling of peace and tranquility that surrounded you.

The Good Friday in Santorini has been synonymous to the village of Pyrgos, due to the unique way of the Epitafios celebration (the funeral bier paraded in a somber march), an event that made the village internationally known. The villager’s preparations were consisting of lighting up thousands of aluminum cans, stuffed with flammable materials and placing them on every house, every rooftop, every church, every path, on the entire village even on the Venetian castle, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. It was a truly magical sight, just unforgettable.

On Good Saturday evening, the monastery of Prophet Elias at the highest point of the island was magnificent. The view was breathtaking and everyone enjoyed an impressive spectacle of fireworks that illuminate the starry sky of Santorini. Every year, most people bring a candle along, and according to tradition, they light it up from the Holy Flame, and try to keep it lit for as long as they can.

On Easter Sunday, flowers blossomed in every garden and the cobbled streets were overcrowded as whole lambs were roasted over fire pits for several hours, before being taken home for the family feast.

Every year the visitors are fascinated by the devoutness and the dedication of Santorinians, no matter how religious they are! With no second thought, it is an experience not to be missed.