Public holidays in Greece

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will attend the midnight Anastasi (Resurrection) Mass on Holy Saturday at the Athens Cathedral tonight, her office said.

On Sunday (Easter Sunday), she will visit the Presidential Guard. 

Worshipers carry the Epitaph in the sea, while others light flares, during the Holy Friday celebrations of Orthodox Easter at the Tolo beach, eastern Peloponnese, in Greece, on April 14, 2023. Orthodox Easter is celebrated this year on April 16. [Vangelis Bougiotis/EPA]

On Great and Holy Saturday the Orthodox Church commemorates the burial of Christ and His descent into Hades. It is the day between the Crucifixion of our Lord and His glorious Resurrection. The Matins of Holy Saturday is conducted on Friday evening, and while many elements of the service represent mourning at the death and burial of Christ, the service itself is one of watchful expectation.

Catholic believers celebrate Palm Sunday, a day of reminiscent of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where he was greeted by crowds carrying palm branches. "Traditionally, on Palm Sunday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest organizes a procession on the streets of Bucharest, which this year, for the second time, cannot take place due to the pandemic.

Catholic faithful this weekend celebrate Palm Sunday, a feast that commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was greeted by crowds that strewed palm branches before Him. "The traditional Palm Sunday procession organized by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest on the city streets had to be canceled for the second year in a row because of the pandemic.

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As Greeks celebrate Christmas on Friday, authorities are warning of the dangers of ignoring coronavirus regulations during the festive season and urging the public to stay safe.

The rules based on which citizens will celebrate the holiday season and churches will operate were published in the government gazette on Tuesday.

Based on the law, which will be in effect from December 13 to January 7, 2021, gatherings at homes on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day will be limited to a maximum of nine people from two families.

The government on Friday announced limited reopening measures for the Christmas holidays amid pressure from the country's high epidemiological burden.

Retailers will operate in the form of online ordering and collections from the store, without customers entering the stores (known as curbside pick-up or click-and-collect service) from December 13 - January 7.

In Eastern Orthodoxy this day, known as Holy Saturday, is also called The Great Sabbath since it is on this day that Christ "rested" physically in the tomb. But it is also believed that it was on this day he performed in spirit the Harrowing of Hell and raised up to Paradise, having liberated those who had been held captive.