In the middle of the penultimate week before Lent, on Thursday all of Greece is filled with the smell of meat roasting on coals. All taverns are packed to capacity, and meat smells can also be heard from the courtyards of private houses. This day in Russia is called Meat eaterand in Greece – Cyclnopempty.
Today, according to the Orthodox Greek “schedule”, is meat or “burnt” or “ash” Thursday. Since we are talking not just about meat, but about meat baked over coals, with smoke, soot, and the aromatic smell of roasted meat fat – cycnahence the name of the day – cyclnopempty (pempti – Thursday).
#NASA | ? Satellite view of Greece ?? #ΤσικνοΠέμπτη pic.twitter.com/BpNWC5e8ay
– ???????????? ™️_ (@prokaliptika1) February 16, 2023
On this day everyone eats meat, drinks wine, has fun, sings and dances. From this day on, the celebration in Greece enters its apogee carnival – analogous to Russian Maslenitsa. In the Orthodox tradition, this day is, as it were, a preparatory day before fasting — eat meat for future use. From Thursday, meat consumption begins to decline and the last day when you can eat it is Apocreo Sunday. Then from Monday comes cheese week “Tyrophagus”. Holiday depends on Easterso its date changes every year.
Lest you get the impression that Greeks only drink, eat and celebrate, I will say that Meat Thursday It will help many to forget the cruel reality for at least a few hours – the crisis has not been canceled for us. It seems to be getting deeper as time goes on, despite Mitsotakis’ assurances that an era of prosperity has arrived. And if from every iron they broadcast that “life has become better, life has become more fun”this means that it mainly concerns those who say these words.
Note that the Greeks do not have a special wish for Tsiknopempti, something like “Happy Tsiknopempty” or something like that. All you hear on this day is “Πάρε! Πάρε!”, which means “Take!” – meat, chicken, sausage, wine and tsipouro…
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