Editorial photo #9968146 Religion and Belief

‘The Lamps’ - Easter Custom In Argyroupoli Rethymno

The residents of Argyroupoli village in Rethymno, Greece, in order to honour the dead Jesus but also to illuminate the route followed by the litany of the epitaph, made 'The Lamps' (giant torches) from reeds and sticks which they lit and carried on their shoulders. Each ''Lamp'' can reach up to 7 meters in length and is held by 3 or more people. The construction of the 'lamps' is undertaken by the young people of the village several days before the Good Friday collecting reeds and sea urchins from the village and the surrounding area. The 'lamps' are prepared in the early afternoon of Good Friday in the square of Agios Ioannis and just before the litany of the Epitaph begins, they climb up and precede the epitaph and pass through the picturesque alleys and cobblestones, above and the village, creating an overwhelming atmosphere that travels, back in time the many more. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto)