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Joni T.

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Traditionally Greeks dye their red eggs on the Thursday of Holy Week. Greeks are really into tradition. I'm wondering what other people have come up with as being easiest. It has taken years of analyzing the way that works best for me, so I thought I'd share.... So, when I was a kid my mother used Ritz red dye, and we used to EAT the eggs. It's a miracle we didn't get poisoned. Then I decided to use red food coloring and eggs came out pink, not the rich red symbolic of the blood of Christ. Then I discovered that the Greek store (I go to Sophia's in Lowell, MA) sells dye specific for dying eggs with directions in both English and Greek on the back. So I followed the directions on the back and dumped the whole packet into a huge pan which ended up hard to clean. As time went on, I discovered I could use only ½ of the packet and use a small container, doing 4 eggs at a time. This year I only used ⅓ of the contents of the packet. So what do you do?
 

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Traditionally you can use red and white onion leaves to color red eggs and tumeric to color yellow eggs.They result in pretty good.(ofcourse not as bright as chemical coloring)
 
Traditionally you can use red and white onion leaves to color red eggs and tumeric to color yellow eggs.They result in pretty good.(ofcourse not as bright as chemical coloring)
Oh wow. Bet that's what Greeks in Greece do. They figured out how to do everything from what they have in nature. Our ancestors were unbelievable!
 
My mother used the same red dye. I don't think you can get that deep red color with anything else. Sometimes the dye would seep into the egg, but we just cut it off. I'm smiling because I remember one Easter when my brother realized what she used. He had a hissy fit! I said to him, "You've been eating these eggs for over 50 years and you're still fine." His response "Who says I'm fine?!" After the eggs were cooled, she would take a soft clean cloth with a little olive oil on it and "polish" the eggs. They looked so beatiful - so red and shiny.
Happy Easter to all from the Boston area! (Though I have been vaccinated, I'm still pretty much in lockdown.
 
My mother used the same red dye. I don't think you can get that deep red color with anything else. Sometimes the dye would seep into the egg, but we just cut it off. I'm smiling because I remember one Easter when my brother realized what she used. He had a hissy fit! I said to him, "You've been eating these eggs for over 50 years and you're still fine." His response "Who says I'm fine?!" After the eggs were cooled, she would take a soft clean cloth with a little olive oil on it and "polish" the eggs. They looked so beatiful - so red and shiny.
Happy Easter to all from the Boston area! (Though I have been vaccinated, I'm still pretty much in lockdown.
What do you use now to dye your eggs?
 
My dying red eggs for Easter is over. When my sister and I retired we de-cluttered our house. The saucepan i made the red eggs in was given away. Ii only used that saucepan for red eggs.i now go to our local Greek cake shop and order them. I still make sort of koulourakia - I just cannot roll them, melamoukarona without syropi, kouranbries without additional icing sugar. Please do not think other Australian-Greeks do that. I have a blended family and I would rather they eat what they enjoy.
 
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My dying red eggs for Easter is over. When my sister and I retired we de-cluttered our house. The saucepan i made the red eggs in was given away. Ii only used that saucepan for red eggs.i now go to our local Greek cake shop and order them. I still make sort of koulourakia - I just cannot roll them, melamoukarona without syropi, kouranbries without additional icing sugar. Please do not think other Australian-Greeks do that. I have a blended family and I would rather they eat what they enjoy.
I didn't know you could order eggs! That's a cool idea i'll have to try it out
 

List of Cretan Dances?

I will be attending a Cretan wedding and am curious about the traditional Cretan dances! I know the dances are slightly different and I want to learn some. I don't know the names of the dances so that I can look them up. I did some research, though. Are any of these dances common at these weddings?
  • Pentozali
  • Sousta
  • Siganos
  • Chaniotis
There's a dance the wedding party typically does in Crete. Which dance is that?

Learning about hospitality in Greece

I was trying to explain to some non-Greek friends about hospitality in Greece. I feel like it's next level, but how do you explain it?

Could anyone help me explain any of the following:
  • Traditional welcome gestures in Greece
  • Common household customs when visiting a Greek home
  • Etiquette for showing appreciation to Greek hosts
  • Any specific do's and don'ts that a foreigner should be aware of

Thinking about the Greek way of hospitality...

I thought I would ask your thoughts oh Philoxenia - or the Greek way, or art, of hospitality. I noticed this when I travel in Greece. People are so kind, they often go out of the way for us, when I feel that they don't have to! How can one describe this to someone?

From what I understand, Philoxenia is not merely a practice but a deeply ingrained value within Greek culture that extends far beyond the simple act of hosting. It reflects a genuine, heartfelt welcome to strangers, treating them with the same respect and generosity one would show to a dearly beloved friend. This beautiful tradition, passed down through generations, turns the act of hosting into an art form, embodying warmth, respect, and a profound sense of human compassion. There have been so many stories I can think of...

This thought process was triggered because we were watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - someone in the village had taken on a Syrian refugee. Is this a Greek hospitality thing? Philoxenia?

Ideas for Celebrating the New Month - Kalo Mina

Growing up, I heard my family say this all the time when there was a new month. I finally started paying attention to the tradition and ritual of saying it.

Kalo Mina actually means "Good Month" but my family took it a step further. We developed the habit of doing something special as a family to celebrate.It depends which day it falls. Some things we've done:

- Brunch - We do this if it falls on a weekend.
- Dinner - Going out to dinner is great any time of the year!
- Journaling - We've done family journaling parties, sitting together reflecting on the month. Sometimes we read aloud what we write (depends how the month went LOL)
- Goals - No matter if we do anything, like go out to dinner or brunch, we always sit and review our goals for the month together.

When does Orthodox lent start this year?

I noticed our Easter is late - May 5th - but Western Easter is at the end of March. Has Lent already started for them? When does our Lent start?

This year, I plan to do a stricter Lenten fast, so I want to plan some things out in advance.

Lent is a time for introspection, repentance, and spiritual growth. Through the dedicated practice of fasting, prayer, and charity, believers seek not only to grow closer to God but also to better understand themselves in relation to God’s will.
Share and discuss Greek traditions related to Greek weddings, christenings, dance & holidays!

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