Travelling back to Byzantium

It is Easter which is the holiest period in the Greek Orthodox calender. Much more sacred in fact than Christmas. They celebrate Easter with a week long series of Masses and Services culminating in a midnight Masses on Easter Saturday. In the lead up to Easter Saturday between there is almost continual prayer and worship going on in the church. In fact the devout (which usually means the little old Greek ladies) often stay all night at church on the Thursday night preparing the Church for the big Mass. It is quite a feat of stamina for the poor Priest.

We have just come back from the Saturday night ceremony and I was reminded of the emphasis that the Greek Orthodox church places on chanting. With my CoE upbring chanting had always seemed an archaic relic of times long past, now kept alive by French monks cashing in and producing CD's of Gregorian chants.

Not so I have discovered. Much of the chanting in Greek Orthodox churches is done by lay members of the congregation and although, it varies in musical quality, is well understood by the congregation. Often I would hear people standing beside me chanting along quietly under their breath. They clearly knew the words and understood the musical form. When performed by some of the more musical amongst the congregation it can take on a lovely musical quality despite all it's acapella limitations.

I am also reminded about the direct lineage that the Greek Orthodox church can trace back to Byzantium and eastern Europe. The ceremonies, the priests garb, the chanting are all ancient and unchanging. It is so a reminder that the Western viewpoint that I normally unconsciously view the world from is just one of many possible viewpoints. There is a rich and quite distinctive Eastern European cultural  heritage with its links to Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Standing in these simply painted churches listening to the rhythmic droning one can get transported to back in time and imagine a very different world

That said I am also struck by how much the Greek comunity embrace their church and how loved and relevant it remains to their identity today. Its a wonderful mixture of old and contemporary