TSN0422

4 THE SHEPHERD • APRIL 2022 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL Are you looking for an opportunity to en- hance young children’s lives through lan- guage and cultural teaching? Do you speak Greek and want to help others learn your beautiful language? We currently have open- ings at the Greek School for all age groups (children to adult classes). Applicants must be uent in Greek. e love of the Greek lan- guage and desire to teach children is a pre- requisite. If you are interested, please reach out to us at stspyridongreekschool@gmail. com and/or (619) 800-8355. e word «Απρίλιος» (Αprílios / April) is et- ymologically derived from the Latin Aprillis, from the verb aperire, which means “open”. It is the month in which the weather «ανοίγει» (anígi / opens) and «η Άνοιξη» (i ániksi / the spring) comes. «Πρωταπριλιά» (Protapriliá / April Fool’s Day) with its innocent lies is a worldwide custom. In Greece, this ancient custom prob- ably reached the time of the Crusades and has its roots in the ancient Celts. Because the weather was good in April, they used to go shing on the rst of the month. Most of the time, they were coming back empty-handed, so they resorted to fake stories about catch- ing big sh. In Greece, people compete for who will come up with the biggest lie. Predominately, April is the month that we celebrate Pascha, the single most important holy day for Christianity. Many of the cur- rent customs of Pascha come from antiquity and the celebrations of the ancients in honor of Atti, Dionysus, and Adonis, which were also held in the spring. ese customs in- clude «τα κόκκινα αυγά» (ta kókkina avgá / the red eggs). e egg is a symbol of the birth of the world and the cycle of life, so it is an integral part of the Pascha table, since with Pascha we cel- ebrate the victory of life over death. Nowa- days, we nd them painted in di erent colors and with many imaginative designs; however they are traditionally painted red. In Greece, the Pascha table never lacks red eggs for the “battle” of cracking. It symbol- izes the breaking of the tomb of Christ. Ac- cording to the tradition, the rst egg that is painted every year is of the Virgin Mary and should not be broken; instead it needs to be kept until the Holy ursday of the next Eas- ter to be planted in the soil. Other treats that are never missing from the Greek Pascha ta- ble are kokoretsi, lamb, and tsoureki. On Holy Saturday night, all communities gather at the local churches to wish each other «Καλή Ανάσταση» and, at midnight, everyone sings the Paschal Hymn «Χριστός Ανέστη» (Christós Anésti / Christ is Risen). is is the rst verse: Χριστός Ανέστη εκ νεκρών θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας και τοις εν τοις μνήμασιν, ζωήν χαρισάμενος. On Holy Sunday, people greet each other saying «Χριστός Ανέστη» with the response being «Αληθώς ο Κύριος». Το wish “Happy Easter” to someone in Greek, you say «Καλό Πάσχα». From our Greek School students and all our sta , we wish you all ΚΑΛΗ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ! eocharis Papatrechas Greek Language School Director Sponsored by GOYA Sunday, April 17, 2022 Join us for a delicious fish dinner complete with veggies, salad, wine and dessert. Adults: $25.00 Children: $ 10.00 Tickets will not be sold at the door. PALM SUNDAY LUNCHEON Pay for your tickets before April 12th to be en- tered in a drawing to win a prize! immediately following the divine liturgy