All about Zakynthos

On the evening of Good Friday, the Epitaph Lamentation is normally held in all the churches. In the Metropolitan Church of St. Nicholas of Xenon (the Strangers), according to an old custom, this Service is not held on the evening of Good Friday, but in the early hours of Good Saturday morning, specifically at 2.00 am. At about 4.00 a.m. the Epitaph is taken out of the church and thousands of people watch these unique moments. The Epitaph returns to the church at around 5.30 am, where the service continues. The beautiful hymn "Praise the Lord...", accentuated also in the Zakynthian church music, sung by all the people, and the famous "Gloria" or the "kommati" (First Resurrection) and the breaking of the clay pots by the housewives of all the houses that take place during the First Resurrection, are impressive. The night of Holy Saturday, at 11.15 the Service begins in the Metropolitan Church. At 11.45 the Resurrection procession starts for St Mark's Square, where the Resurrection takes place in a park set up in front of the Solomos Museum. Immediately afterwards the Icon of Resurrection returns to the Metropolitan Church, where the "Arate Pilas..." (Open the gates) takes place. According to local tradition, the Resurrection Mass is not celebrated immediately afterwards in any of the churches of the town and villages, but on Easter Sunday morning. The 'adeti' (custom) is for the church bells to ring during the reading of the Gospel. It should be noted that only in the church of our patron saint Agios Dionysios there are two Resurrection Divine Liturgies. The first at 1.00 am and the second on Easter morning. In the afternoon of Easter Sunday, the Vespers of Love is celebrated in the church of St. Lazarus in the city and the procession of the imposing icon of the Virgin Mary of Galanousa and the icon of the Resurrection .On Easter Monday most villages celebrate.