April 12 - Easter is by far the most important event of the Orthodox year. The excitement it generates is only matched by Christmas (or football) in a western country. Oddly enough, the Orthodox and the Catholics rarely celebrate this holiest of seasons on the same day. The Greek Orthodox use the old Julian calendar, which originated in Roman times, while the Roman Catholics use the calendrical innovations authorized by Pope Gregory in the 16th century. And so it was that this year, Americans celebrated Easter one week before the Greeks.
Last week was Holy Week. Every day, we were treated to an extra barrage of church bells. Then, on Friday evening, the racket reached a fever pitch. I went down to the church to investigate. I stood by the front door along with throngs of the faithful. The priest came out, shook the holy water disperser known as the aspergillum, and my camera became a blessed machine. Yes, I could see miracles in the next few pictures! Mysterious little bubbles, but strangely, when I cleaned the lens, they disappeared.
I only got one decent picture of the procession. It was dark, of course. I believe the symbolic coffin held aloft represents the death of Christ on this day.
The Greeks have a custom of roasting lamb on Easter Sunday, and our Greek friends invited us to their feast. I immediately thought of the original Passover instructions in Exodus 12. As many as could partake of a lamb would gather in a house. I discovered there is not that much meat on a lamb. One would think that a single lamb would feed ten or twelve people at the most. It's a beautiful picture of a Sunday morning meeting. The main reason we gather together on the Lords Day is to remember the Lamb of God. He is the central focus of our meeting. There's nothing in the world as satisfying as feeding on the Lamb and leaving meeting with joy in our heart. In an ironic twist, the Jews themselves no longer eat lamb with their Passover supper. Because traditionally the lamb was slain in the Temple precinct, and today there is no Temple, they substitute a roasted leg (shank) bone in its place.
Exodus 12:1 "And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, ................. In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof."
The lamb is skewered top to bottom, the limbs wired to the spit, rosemary and other spices sprinkled inside, and then it was sewn up.
The lamb slowly turned on the spit for three hours until it was golden
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