GoodMorning people of this world!!!!!!
I have been disapeared for a while but there was a good reason to.....
I was preparing Easter Candles!!!!!
Here in Greece the Easter Candles or Lambades as they are called in Greek, are part of our tradition. In Greece every child has godparents, and the Easter Candle is one of the customary Easter gifts that godparents give to their godchildren (along with a chocolate Easter egg and sometimes shoes). These candles are decorated with various ornaments in relation to whether it will be given to a boy or girl and their age!!! On the day of Holly Saturday we take these candles to the church to the midnight service in which all the lights within the church are extinguished, until the priest comes out at midnight to announce to the world that Christ has risen. Then from the single flame of the priest candle, we all light our candles with the holly flame (as we call it) and we transfer it with our candles to our houses.
Although the Easter Candles with decorations are supposed to be given only to young children, and the rest to take to the church just a white candle, today it is usual for grown ups to hold a decorated candle but a little thinner than the ones tha the children have!!!!
When I was young my godmother lived in Thesaloniki, a city far away from Athens, and she never gave me an Easter Candle (or the other gifts that godparents send to their godchildren).... This was alays my huge complaint of her...but my mother always took care of the issue...as she didn't want me to feel bad she made a tradition of our own.... we went out and we chose ornaments and ribbons and we decorated on our own our Easter Candles!!!! Maybe this is the reason that I love so much each year making them!!!
Each and every candle of them has its own story, and it is made with all my love!!!
So what do you think of this Greek custom?
and what do you think of the Easter Candles that I made for you this year ???
Hello people whereever you are!!!!! Please if you read this post, do not forget that today is the Eart Hour 2011 and in which ever place of the world you are and what ever you do at 8.30 do switch off all your lights !!!!!! I was reading some twitter posts and I saw that in Sydney Australia the Earth Hour finished juat 2 minutes ago!!!!
Watch this superb video in you tube (and do not forget to switch the power there too...in the up left of the screen ) If you have a twitter acount there is thisfantastic appthat at 8.30 your local time switches off the lights inyour twitter profile picture :http://www.eh2011.com/. You can read more informations about this global event athttp://www.earthhour.org Greece has already joined the Earth Hour event and at 8.30 all the classic historical monuments like the Acropolis and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion will switch off their lights for one hour to demonstrate commitment to energy responsibility. Candle-carrying crowds are expected to gather and watch as the monuments go dark.
So what do you think??? will you be one of the billions of people who will help the world to make a change??? will you be part of the largest voluntary action ever witnessed??? I certenly will!!!!!
Hello people of this world wherever you are!!!!! As everyone knows ten days ago one of the most terrible natural disasters stroke Japan...... Although I live in Greece, a place so far away from Japan, I bet I have the same feeling with the most of you, that this disaster is like next to us..... Having survived a major earthquake (for Greece at least) 11 years ago, I can assure you that there is nothing more scary than to feel the earth move under your feet.....now I think that the tsunami and the feeling of a huge wave come after you may be 100 times more scary..... I don't want even to imagine how it is to lose everything.... it is beyond my mind what these people have been (and are still ) through.....
However, in various disasters all over the world through the years that I remember myslef watching the news, I do not think that I have seen another country and its people to react with such dignity in the aftermath of the disaster.....
These people although they had lost members of their family, their homes, their way of living, they were so modest, without yelling, crying, without accusing their goverment, their God, or whoever else... Since I remember myself, when I first heard a Japanese tale my mother used to tell me, when I touched my first hello Kitty , when I watched like crazy Japanese cartoons on TV, I loved this country!!! I still love everything about it, their culture, their design, their architecture, but now I also admire and have huge respect and awe for them !!!!! And it's not only me look here http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/how-musicians-are-raising-money-for-japan-relief-20110322what the music industry plans in order to help the Japanese people!!!! Let's hope that the tragedy will stop here, and there will be no further disaster with the nuclear plants..... One of my dreams is to be able someday to travel to Japan. I don't know when I ll be able to go but I know for sure that definetely I will!!!!!! Kisses & wishes for a better tomorrow for Japan mdq
Although the Easter Candles with decorations are supposed to be given only to young children, and the rest to take to the church just a white candle, today it is usual for grown ups to hold a decorated candle but a little thinner than the ones tha the children have!!!! 
Having survived a major earthquake (for Greece at least) 11 years ago, I can assure you that there is nothing more scary than to feel the earth move under your feet.....now I think that the tsunami and the feeling of a huge wave come after you may be 100 times more scary.....