Greek Traditions Community

Playing the tsougrisma game at Easter?

1 - 3 of 3 Posts
nadellii

nadellii

Active member
Hey everyone! With Easter coming up, I was thinking about the tsougrisma game we always play with the red eggs after the Resurrection service. You know—the egg cracking battle to see who ends up with the "uncracked champion"?

I’m curious—do you and your family still play it? And do the “rules” vary from house to house? In my family, we get very competitive about it—everyone picks their egg carefully and there's always a big cheer when someone stays undefeated!

I’d love to hear your stories. Do you play at midnight? At lunch the next day? Does your family do something funny or unique with it?

Share your traditions! It’s such a simple thing, but it really makes Easter feel complete for me.
 
es! We definitely still play tsougrisma—it wouldn’t be Easter without it. In our family, we do it right after the midnight Resurrection service, usually while we're breaking the fast with mageiritsa. Everyone gathers around with their red eggs, and it’s always loud and full of laughs.

We have a rule that the “champion egg” can’t be used again once it wins—it has to sit on display until the next day. And there’s always at least one family member who swears they have a secret egg-picking technique (which is totally just superstition!).

One of my favorite parts is when the youngest and oldest family members face off—it’s a sweet generational moment. And yes, things can get surprisingly competitive. Some years, we even make brackets like it’s a tournament! So fun.
 
nadellii said:
Hey everyone! With Easter coming up, I was thinking about the tsougrisma game we always play with the red eggs after the Resurrection service. You know—the egg cracking battle to see who ends up with the "uncracked champion"?

I’m curious—do you and your family still play it? And do the “rules” vary from house to house? In my family, we get very competitive about it—everyone picks their egg carefully and there's always a big cheer when someone stays undefeated!

I’d love to hear your stories. Do you play at midnight? At lunch the next day? Does your family do something funny or unique with it?

Share your traditions! It’s such a simple thing, but it really makes Easter feel complete for me.
Click to expand...
Oh yes! We definitely play every year. We invite several “non-Greeks” so rather than doing it after church, we wait until after our Easter meal so they can partake . It wouldn’t be Easter without tsougrisma!. We don’t have any “rules” per se. ine fun story (at the expense of my DIL…),
She is not Greek but wanted to participate so volunteered to do the eggs- she had never done them before. She was so proud that her eggs were the perfect red that we all strive for!! It was a beautiful warm day so everyone was gathered outside , each with their hand picked egg and the fun began…..well,messy fun……the eggs hadn’t been cooked!! Poor dear was so embarrassed but we all brushed it off and had a good laugh! Her eggs have been perfect since then!
 
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION AND READ OTHER GREEK INFO:

How was your experience using a virtual concierge at a luxury resort?

Booked a fancy resort for a once-in-a-blue-moon getaway, and they keep hyping up this “virtual concierge” thing like it’s the next big miracle. I’m kinda torn. Part of me loves the idea of ditching phone calls, but part of me worries it’ll feel cold or glitchy, like talking to a chat bot instead of a real human who actually cares if my room smells weird or if I need extra towels. If you’ve used one before, was it helpful or just marketing fluff? I’m trying to figure out if I should trust it or just stick to the front desk.

Are most Greeks left or right?

Are most Greeks liberal leftist progressives? Most that I encounter are. Not only that but self hating. WHY?

Greek Traditions from Childhood?

I’d love to hear everyone’s memories of Greek traditions from childhood, especially the small everyday things that may not even seem unusual until you look back on them later.

For me, some of the strongest memories are tied to food, church, family gatherings, name days, holiday preparations, and the feeling of constantly having people around. Even certain sounds and smells immediately bring everything back.

I’m also curious how traditions differed depending on region or family background. Did your family keep strong village customs? Were there things your grandparents insisted on doing a certain way? Any traditions connected to Easter, Christmas, weddings, coffee, hospitality, music, or food?

For me, we ate a family-oriented Sunday meal where everyone go together after church. That was a big part of things for me.

What are your favorite name day traditions?

I’ve always loved the tradition of celebrating name days. In my family, they’re just as meaningful as birthdays, and sometimes even more fun because they bring everyone together in a different way.

When a big name day comes around, especially one that several family members share, we often turn it into a full family gathering. For example, on a name day like Nick/Nikolas, where there might be multiple people celebrating, it becomes almost like a mini family holiday. Someone hosts, there’s plenty of food, and everyone comes by to wish the celebrants “chronia polla.”

I also like the simplicity of the tradition. Even if there isn’t a big gathering, people still call or send messages to acknowledge the day.

Do you celebrate name days in your family? And are there certain ones that turn into larger celebrations because several people share the name?

Information About Apokries?

I’ve been curious about how people experience Apokries and what it looks like in different parts of Greece. For some, it seems centered on big public celebrations and costumes, while for others it’s more about smaller gatherings, food, and local customs.

I’m especially interested in the traditions people grew up with. Was Apokries something your family actively celebrated, or did it feel more like a community event? Did you attend costume parties, parades, or specific local festivities? And how did days like Tsiknopempti fit into it for you?

I’d also love to hear whether your experience changed over time, for example, celebrating differently as a child versus as an adult, or noticing differences between village and city celebrations.

For those who no longer live in Greece, do you still mark Apokries in some way, or has it faded with distance?

I’m looking forward to hearing how this tradition shows up for others.
Share and discuss Greek traditions related to Greek weddings, christenings, dance & holidays!

WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology.
Join Worldwide Greeks here!

JOIN COMMUNITY FOR FREE

LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Back
Top