The world from my window

The plateia is quiet now, after the lunchtime rush. Whole parties of families gathered in the village tavernas and locals celebrated around big tables in their gardens. Today is one of the most sacred days in the Greek Orthodox calendar, marking the Dormition of the Theotokos or the 'falling asleep' of the Virgin Mary. The feast commemorates the end of her earthly life and her miraculous assumption into heaven. It is the name day for Marias, Marios, Panagoitis and Despinas, and a public holiday in Greece. Last night, as we have done for several years, we walked in the procession through the village from church to church to church, ending at the cemetery high up on the hill. I lit a candle for my own family's Mary and paused to remember her. Outside, the graves glowed in candlelight. Back down in the village and into the plateia, the lovely white-haired Maria dragged me in to collect a bunch of basil, the herb that is said to have grown at the base of J...

On the eve of the Dormition of the Theotokos , the church bells toll and there is a procession through the village and a service in the church. In the central plateia, the men prepare the sperna , soaking great tubs of raisins in water before taking them inside the hall and locking the doors to mix them up with the boiled wheat, almonds and seeds and maybe a dash of ouzo. The key is turned from the inside and then the women and children are allowed in to run the production line.   Their nimble fingers make quick work of putting the mixture into bags for tomorrow's service. And today, Marias in best clothes and newly-permed hair attend the morning service. There are older men in crisp white shirts and women in blocks of bright colours - orange, yellow, green - and widows in black. Inside the church, there is chanting, some singing and the congregation makes the sign of the cross in formation. Behind the screen of the iconostasis, the priest gets to work to make ...