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Easter 2024 in Nafplio - Programme of Events

Town Hall Nafplio square, Πλατεία Δημαρχείου Ναύπλιο

Easter has arrived, the most significant celebration in Christianity, and the Municipality of Nafplio welcomes it with reverence, respect for tradition, and creativity. Easter in Nafplio is celebrated with all the solemnity and grandeur befitting this important religious event.

The city of Nafplio is adorned with flowers, purple mourning banners, and the churches are illuminated with a special colored light. In the surrounding areas, among the lit candles, the colors of blooming Easter lilies, white lilies, violets, bougainvillea and citrus blossoms dominate.

Schedule of Church Services & Events

Saturday, April 27th 2024  – Saturday of Lazarus
7:00
 Orthros and Divine Liturgy in the Churches of the city. The resurrection of Lazarus.
11:00 Nafplio - Square of the Three Admirals (Town Hall)
On Lazarus' Saturday, the preparation for the Lord's Great Resurrection begins and it will be celebrated with the Lazarus' carols, which will be heard in the alleys of the old town of Nafplio from children's voices. The traditional events start on Lazarus Saturday at 10:30 in the municipal units of Midea and Agios Adrianos until noon, with the "Lazaraki" tradition where women knead small bread rolls and children, forming groups, decorate Lazarus and sing the "Lazarus carols".
17:30 Pyrgiotika village
The Local Community and the Cultural Association of Pyrgiotika "Agios Georgios" organize Easter events. Traditional egg dyeing and baking of Easter bread. The children of the village knead "lazarakia" and Easter cookies. Finally, they decorate their candles and offer traditional treats.
18:00 Assini
Lazarus' carols from the children in the alleys of the village. Easter cookies are offered in the square of Assini. Beginning of the Easter Bazaar by the cultural association in the square.
18:00 Evening Mass in all churches.

Sunday, April 28th 2024 – Palm Sunday
07:00
 Orthros and Divine Liturgy – Palm bearing.
On Palm Sunday, the commemoration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is honored and despite its joyful character, it is considered the beginning of the Holy Passion.
10:00 – 20:00 NafplioSyntagma Square
A Paschal bazaar will take place in Syntagma Square with handmade Easter crafts.
10:00 Kandia
In Kandia, after the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Cultural Landscaping and Educational Association of Kandia will distribute the traditional "Lazarakia" to the faithful, which young and old have kneaded on Lazarus Saturday symbolizing the Resurrection. 
11:00 NafplioCatholic Church
Orthros and Divine Liturgy – Palm bearing
It is emphasized that Catholic Christians celebrate Easter in Greece, not alongside other Catholics worldwide, but alongside the Orthodox. Therefore, Catholics living in the Municipality of Nafplio, as well as thousands of visiting Catholics, can celebrate Easter in the Catholic church (Frangoklissia), either to experience these solemn days with the multitude of Orthodox.
12:00 Nafplio, Holy Church of Genesis of the Virgin (Panagia)
Concert of religious and ecclesiastical music. The Municipal Choir of Nafplio - Mixed Polyphonic Ensemble, the "Symphony" Women's Vocal Ensemble of Nafplio and the Youth Municipal Choir of Nafplio, under the teaching - direction of maestro Theodossis Antoniadis and piano accompaniment by Mrs. Eleni Belesi, perform and sing works of religious music from the Greek and international repertoire, as well as hymns and odes from the services of Holy Week. An excerpt from W. A. Mozart's Requiem will be presented, along with hymns of Holy Week arranged by Ioannis Sakellaridis and songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary, with poetry by Odysseas Elytis and music by Theodossis Antoniadis.
18:00 Assini
Easter Bazaar by the cultural association in the square.
19:00 Nafplio - Bridegroom's service in the churches of the city.
Church of Agios Anastasios: Bridegroom's service and chanting, by the "Byzantine & Traditional echoes" music ensemble, under the direction of choirmaster Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas.

Good Monday, April 29th 2024
Memory of the Blessed Pangalos Joseph. On Great Monday, the drama of the Lord is depicted in the person of Joseph the Betrayer, and the week of the Passion begins.
07:00 Mass of Hours and Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
11:00 Assini
Easter crafts with children, at the hall of the Cultural Association of Assini.
19:00 Bridegroom's service in the churches of the city.
Church of Agios Anastasios: Bridegroom's service and chanting, by the "Byzantine & Traditional echoes" music ensemble, under the direction of choirmaster Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas.

Good Tuesday, April 30th 2024
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
07:00 Mass of Hours and Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
19:00 Bridegroom's service in the churches of the city.
Holy Tuesday is dedicated to the sinful woman. The famous hymn (glorifying) of the hymnographer nun Cassiani is chanted.
Nafplio, Holy Temple of Genesis of the Virgin (Panagia): The Ecclesiastical Choir of the Holy Temple of Panagia Nafplio, along with the "Symphony" Women's Vocal Ensemble and the Municipal Choir sings the hymn of Cassiani, under the direction of Mr. Theodosius Antoniadis.
Nafplio, Holy Church of Agios Anastasios: Choir at the Church of Agios Anastasios in Nafplio, under the direction of choirmaster Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas.

Nafplio castles view

Good Wednesday, May 1st 2024
The anointing the Lord myrrh prostitute woman. Day in which the Eucharist and Holy Unction is glorified in the Churches.
07:00 Mass of Hours and Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
10:00 The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (A ')
12:00 Nafplio, Syntagma Square.
The Center for Speech Therapy and Creative Employment "Dimiourgó" (I create) invites children to create Easter cards by selecting works of art by painters, focusing on the theme of Easter and Holy Week.
17:00 The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (B ')
19:00 Bridegroom's service
Four events from the last moments of the Lord: Holy Washbasin, Last Supper (tradition of the Sacrament of Holy Communion), Prayer of Jesus on the Mount of Olives and his surrender to martyrdom.
Nafplio, Holy Church of Agios Anastasios: Choir at the Church of Agios Anastasios in Nafplio, under the direction of choirmaster Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas.
21:30 Agios Spyridon church, old town Nafplio
The Municipality of Nafplio in collaboration with "Theatrodromio" and musician Monica Loutz-Papaiwannou organizes an event with music and recitation of an Easter narrative by Alexandros Papadiamantis, in a solemn atmosphere illuminated by candles.

Good Thursday, May 2nd 2024
Four events from the last moments of the Lord: Holy Washbasin, Last Supper (tradition of the Sacrament of Holy Communion), Prayer of Jesus on the Mount of Olives and his surrender to martyrdom.
07:30 Divine Liturgy of St. Basil
Holy Thursday is the day when red eggs are traditionally dyed. The Twelve Gospels are read in all the Churches and the Epitaphs are decorated. In the evening, following the Holy Passion, the choirs give their own color and tone.
10:00 Nafplio, Syntagma Square.
Outdoor open art workshop, with free participation for all children from the School of Creative children's distractions of Nafplio.
12:00 Nafplio, Kolokotroni's Park
The Center for Speech Therapy and Creative Employment "Dimiourgó" (I create) invites children to Easter exploration games: the Easter Bunny is eager for Easter, but he lost his eggs... The children will help him find them. Will they succeed? Holding maps of the park, they will search everywhere...
19:00 Mass of Holy Passions (The Twelve Gospels)
Nafplio, Holy Church of Genesis of the Virgin (Panagia): the Ecclesiastical Choir of the homonymous church, along with the "Symphony" Women's Vocal Ensemble and the Municipal Choir chants the hymn "Today Hangs" and the "Blessings", under the direction of Mr. Theodosius Antoniadis.
Nafplio, Pilgrimage Church of Agios Anastasios: the choir of the homonymous church chants in the Mass of the Holy Passions (Twelve Gospels) under the direction of the choirmaster Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas.
23:00 Nafplio, in the Churches of the city.
During the decoration of the Epitaphs, the music ensemble "Byzantine & Traditional echoes", under the direction of choreographer Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas, chants hymns from the Holy Week services, the Praises and the traditional Lamentation of the Virgin Mary in the city's churches.
The Choir Workshop of Nafplio, under the direction of Mr. Yiannis Nikolopoulos, chants hymns and praises from the Holy Week services during the decoration of the Epitaphs in the city's churches.

Good Friday, May 3rd 2024
The Holy and horrible Passion of the Lord. It is the day of the Unnailing and the procession of the Epitaphs.
09:00 Mass of the Great Hours
11:00 Evening Mass of the Unnailing
12:00 Nafplio, Church of the Genesis of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) and "Agios Georgios" Metropolitan Church
The Children's Choir of the Municipality of Nafplio under the direction of Mr. Giannis Nikolopoulos will chant hymns of the day.
19:00 Nafplio - Mass of the Epitaph of Mourning.
Nafplio, "Evangelistria" Church: The Choral Workshop of Nafplio with the Youth and Adult Sections, under the direction of Mr. Giannis Nikolopoulos, chant the praises of the day.
Nafplio, Church of the Genesis of the Virgin Mary (Panagia): the Ecclesiastical Choir of the Church, under the direction of Theodosius Antoniadis, sings the hymns and the mourning procession "funebre" and "E Gennae Passae".
Nafplio, Holy Church of Agios Anastasios: the choir of the homonymous church chants in the Mass of the Epitaph of Lamentation and the Praises, under the direction of the choirmaster Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas.
21:15 Nafplio - Beginning of the Procession of Epitaphs
The processions of the epitaphs of Good Friday in the historic center of Nafplio have a different color and follow a kind of ritual, which make the event more impressive. The processions of the epitaphs (of Agios Georgios and of the Panagia) come out in a defined order from each church and meet in the center of the city, in Syntagma Square. Throughout the route, the municipality will place lighted candles, which metaphorically point the way, while the Municipal Philharmonic will accompany playing mourning processions from the Greek and Italian repertoire. Instruction and direction by the Maestro and Chief Musician Theodossios Antoniadis. The local children accompany the procession of the Epitaphs of the parishes of the Municipality of Nafplio.
21:15 Tolo beach
The Divine Drama of Christ's Passion reaches its climax with the Service of the Epitaph on the evening of Good Friday. One of the most beautiful and original customs is the procession of the Epitaph in Tolo, into the sea. After the procession of the Epitaph around the district, the procession ends at the sea, to bless and sanctify the waters. The spectacle is majestic, impressive and is accompanied by boats and myrrh-bearers, who sing with enthusiasm.

Epitaphs in Syntagma square Nafplio

Good Saturday, May 4th 2024
The Godly Burial and the Descent of the Lord into Hades
07:00 Divine Liturgy of St. Basil
10:30 the First Resurrection
The events and customs of Holy Saturday are, perhaps, the best moments of Easter in Nafplio. It is the day when we pass from the mourning of the epitaph to the joy of the first Resurrection, which takes place here at 11:00 am. The bells of the Churches ring joyfully.
11:00 NafplioThe Land Gate
Experiential walk in the old town and tour of the religious monuments and churches, accompanied by the Councilor of the Municipal Community of Nafplio, Mrs. Popi Kalkounou.
11:30 Kandia
In Kandia, after the end of the Vespers of Holy Saturday and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, the Cultural Landscaping and Educational Association of Kandia will offer Easter cookies and red eggs, in the courtyard of the village's Holy Church.
11:30 Vivari village
Easter cookies and red Easter eggs will also be distributed at the entrance of the village's church.
18:00 Midea
Tour & visit to religious monuments of the Municipality of Midea. Specifically, at the churches of "Koimissis Theotokou" in Agia Triada, "Metamorfossis Sotira" in Plataniti, and "Koimisis Theotokou" also in Plataniti villagr, under the supervision of the archaeologist Mr. Kostas Tziampasis.
Registration: T. +30 27520 27153 or at the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Culture, at Villa Zouvrakaki, on Asklipiou Avenue, until Thursday. Priority will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Departure will be from the KTEL bus-station in Nafplio, at 17:30.

EASTER Sunday, May 5th 2024
00:00 Orthros and Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection
The day dedicated to the roasting of the traditional lamb, to the crunching of red eggs and to the burning of Judas.
17:30 Assini
Construction of the effigy of Judas by the youth of the village and procession through all the alleys.
19:00 Midea
The Evening Mass of Love, at the Church of Saint John the Baptist. After the evening service, dances and songs of the spring Easter cycle will be performed in the square of the church, in an attempt to revive the custom of "Agapi" (Love) by the Local Community of Midea and the "Alkmini" Cultural Association of Midea.
20:00 Nafplio – Holy church of Agios Georgios
The Evening Mass of Love, at the Church of Agios Georgios. The Holy Liturgy will be conducted by His Holiness Reverend Metropolitan of Argolis, Mr. Nektarios.
20:30 Tolo beach
At 20:30 in Tolo, after the "Love" Mass, the burning of Judas takes place in a spectacular way on a floating platform, which is visible from all over the bay of Tolo.

Easter Monday, May 6th 2024
07:00
 Festive Orthros Mass and Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection in all churches.
19:30 Karathona Beach - Courtyard of the Holy Church of Saint Constantine.
The "Theatrodromio", in collaboration with the Municipality of Nafplio, hosts actor-director George Biniaris in the musical narration "The Only Journey of His Life", by Georgios Viziinos, accompanied by live music from Dafni Biniari and Kostas Siagas

Easter Thursday, May 9th 2024
18:00  Αγία Μονή Αρίας Ναυπλίου
Μέγας Πανηγυρικός Εσπερινός της Ζωοδόχου Πηγής

Easter Friday, May 10th 2024
07:00 – 10:00 
Agia Moni Monastery, in Aria district of Nafplio
Resurrection Matins and Divine Liturgy with procession, in celebration of the Life-Giving Spring.
07:30 – 10:00 Tolo 
The picturesque chapel of Panagia Zoodochos Pigi celebrates and rejoices on the islet of Daskaleio in Tolo, where Divine Liturgy will be held.
Boats will depart every 20 minutes from the port of Tolo to Daskaleio.

Sunday of Thomas, May 12th 2024
07:00
 Divine Liturgy in all Holy Churches

Did you know that?
The burning of Judas in Argolis is a tradition that takes place after the Agape service, either on a floating platform visible on the beach in a spectacular way, or with gunfire, or with the explosion of Judas.
The Municipal Choir, under the direction and teaching of maestro Theodossios Antoniadis, the "Choral Workshop of Nafplio", under the direction of maestro Yiannis Nikolopoulos, and the "Byzantine & Traditional Echoes", under the direction of choir leader Mr. Konstantinos Routoulas, voluntarily participate during Holy Week in the churches of Nafplio, chanting hymns and praises.
During Holy Week, under the responsibility of the Municipality of Nafplio and the Municipal Organization of Culture, Environment and Sports, the churches in the city of Nafplio will be specially illuminated, giving a unique touch to the atmosphere of the Week of the Holy Passion.

Anastasi- Panagia church Nafplio

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