Good Friday

The annual Easter exodos of Athenians from the capital picked up pace at Attica's ports, motorways and airports on Good Friday.

A total of 14 ferries are scheduled to depart for the Aegean islands and 31 for the Saronic islands. Another 12 ferries will depart from Rafina and 9 from Lavrio ports.

The Athens Traders Association announced on Friday the proposed working hours for Athens stores during the Easter holiday season, which will start on Thursday April 6, and is as follows: Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Thursday (April 10-13) from 9 a.m.

Christians around the world celebrate Good Friday, when, according to belief, Jesus Christ died crucified on the cross. It is a non-working day of strict fasting and contemplation.

"Good Friday is a joyful sorrow. It is not desperation, it is not grief for the late Jesus", said professor Ljubomir Stojanovic from the Faculty of Theology in Belgrade.

The exodus of city dwellers for the Easter long weekend holidays is culminating on Good Friday. Athenians are leaving the city through cars, trains, ports and airports, with the volume of traffic on major exit roads being high. Greek traffic police are on alert for the exodus as emergency measures are in effect to facilitate the travellers leaving Athens.

A serious incident took place on Good Friday, when a Turkish patrol boat threatened to arrest a Greek fishing boat in the Greek sea waters. The episode started when a Turkish patrol boat warned a Greek fishing boat to leave the area near the Greek island of Inousses claiming it was in Turkish waters. The captain refused and the Turkish boat threatened to arrest the crew.

As the Greek PM, Alexis Tsipras proceeded to his designated seat at the European Parliament, Wednesday, to present Greece’s case before the plenary, photographers captured a blonde woman approaching and kissing him. Her name is Martina Anderson and she is an MEP from Northern Ireland, representing the Sinn Fein, the political branch associated with terrorist organization IRA.

The historic church of St. Voukolos (Agia Vukla) in Izmir held its first Holy Week services since 1922. Recently renovated, the church held its first Good Friday service and Epitaph procession through the streets of Izmir.

A 47-year-old woman tried to put an end to her own life on Good Friday by jumping off a historic cliff from the mountain of Zalongos.

Sources state that the woman chose to jump off the same cliff that the women and children of Souli jumped off in a mass suicide to avoid being captured by the Turks in December 1803.

Nuns in a nearby monastery heard the woman’s yell.

A tragic accident on Good Friday at the village of Ano Amfeia (Thoiria) in Messinia, the Peloponnese,  resulted in the death of two young men, aged 23 and 26.

By George Georgakopoulos

Olympiakos completed its campaign in the top-16 of the Euroleague with a 77-70 home win over Russia?s Nizhny and is preparing for the all-important play-offs that begin next week. Its opponent will probably be Barcelona.