Why Greeks Roast a Whole Lamb on the Spit on Easter Sunday

[Pelican Press 0]

Why Greeks Roast a Whole Lamb on the ***** on Easter Sunday

Lamb on the ***** in Greece. Credit: Credit: 

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The picture of a whole lamb slowly turning on the ***** over charcoal and the smell that accompanies it spells Easter Sunday for Greek people across the world.

Yet, this is not a simple culinary tradition. On the contrary, there is rich religious symbolism for the particular meat.

John, the author of one of the four Gospels, called ****** the Lamb of **** in John 1:29 and John 1:36. In the story, Abraham had to sacrifice an animal, such as a lamb or a ram, as an important part of the ******* religion. People offered **** restitution for the sins they committed.

However, Christians no longer need to engage in sacrifice because ******* ***** on the cross for their sins, thus becoming the sacrificial lamb.

Since Pascha, or Easter, is the day when we commemorate ******’ sacrifice, we eat lamb in remembrance of this selfless act.

On Easter Sunday and 40 days on, Orthodox Christians greet each other saying, “******* is Risen” and answer, “Truly He is risen.”

Symbolism of lamb on the ***** at Easter

The symbolism of the lamb goes back to the Old Testament and the ******* Passover. It’s associated with the exodus of the ******* people from Egypt.

Before setting out on their great exodus, ****, through Moses, requested Jews to gather in small groups; each family would have to sacrifice a lamb.

Families were to mark their doorposts with the animal’s blood so that they would not be exterminated by an angel of ****, who on that night would bring pestilence to the firstborn of each family if the home was not marked with lamb’s blood.

That night, each ******* family offered a lamb for the salvation of all people as a sacrifice to ****. They consumed the lamb without breaking its bones together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They then marked their doors with the lamb’s blood.

Later on, Christians adopted the symbol of the sacrificial lamb, as John the ******** likened ****** ******* to the “Lamb of ****” who would free the world of their sins with his sacrifice.

Today, Greeks spend Easter Sunday morning slow-roasting the lamb and then the whole family gathers on the table to eat. The whole preparation and turning the ***** is a communal experience that bonds people in the holy day.

Critics criticize the lamb on the ***** Easter tradition

In recent years, protesters have begun to criticize the tradition, claiming that it is barbaric.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of lambs are butchered throughout the country. In many cases, and especially in villages, the ********** takes place in the open, often in front of children. Humane procedures are not always followed.

According to the late Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, the “barbaric custom” of roasting a lamb on the ***** at Easter should no longer continue to be a part of Greek Easter.

Speaking out against animal ******, the great Greek composer wrote: “Easter is coming again. The days of the massacre of innocent animals are approaching for the sake of a barbaric [feast] that ought to have vanished long ago.”

In recent years, animal ******** groups have staged protests in Athens and other Greek cities against the annual Easter tradition.

 

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