Summertime

Corfu Easter

The celebration of Easter in Corfu is a unique experience, completely different from anywhere else in Greece and particularly impressive for first-time visitors to the island. It is a huge festival, in which various components come together harmoniously, the Orthodox Christian faith, pagan traditions, the powerful presence of Saint Spiridon, the Roman Catholic community, the Venetian influence, genuine Corfiot humour, the music of the philharmonic bands and of course the spring atmosphere. Holy Week throughout Greece is characterised by its church services, by fasting, and by the anticipation of the Resurrection. We recommend that during Holy Week you leave the town and venture out to the villages. Wander in the countryside, that is moving into spring and the season of fertility and renewal, and enjoy its perfumes. After the dullness of winter, with its rains and cold weather, the sunlight underscores the fresh colours of nature. The white, yellow, mauve and green of the wild flowers, the blue of the sky and the sea, form a backdrop to the grey stone walls of the monasteries with their westernized wallfrescoes. Good Friday is the day of the Epitaphios, the funeral of Christ. All over the island, as all over Greece, every church brings out its own funeral bier and parades it around the parish. In Corfu however, the attendant philharmonic orchestras and choirs, the presence of thousands of Corfiots as well as foreign visitors, give another dimension to the gravity of the occasion. On Holy Saturday at 11 a.m. the First Resurrection and the “Pot Throwing” custom take place, and the local people throw pots out of their windows, smashing them onto the streets below. All over Greece the ceremony takes place on a platform outside the church. In Corfu Town, the service is held in the Upper Esplanade Square, starting at the Church of Agia Paraskevi, with the participation of the Bishop, the

philharmonic orchestras, and thousands of people. The Resurrection is seen in with a roll of drums and an impressive firework display, and when this ends the bands traverse the streets of the town at a great pace playing cheerful music, with people running behind them singing. The party has only just begun, and will last until dawn.

Summertime

A stroll through the alleyways of the old town late at night - that is summertime. The man who roasts corn-on-the-cob over a brazier in the Upper Square - he is summertime. Freshly sliced, ice-cold watermelon - that’s summertime. A midafternoon siesta in a little, vine-shaded, whitewashed courtyard - that is summertime. And the people, these happy and kindly people who face daily life with humour and stay out late at night – they too are a part of summertime. Summertime in Corfu. The best time to visit the island and enjoy life to the full. Because summertime in Corfu is a distillation of the Mediterranean temperament, the warm hospitality, the honest dealings, the human contact. And that is the basic reason why over a million visitors a year end their holidays here happier people. Corfu never lets you down. The entire province of Corfu (including its islands) is encircled by approximately 600 kms of shoreline. Hundreds of beaches with sand or pebbles are to be found here, ideal for a lazy, carefree swim in sparklingly clean water. There are beaches which even in high season remain deserted and untouched. There are caves and rocks perfect for diving and underwater exploration, and plenty of small harbours where you can tie up a boat. In the interior of the island you will come across luxuriant vegetation, picturesque villages, old family mansions, stone-built houses with pristine courtyards, simple folk. You will also find areas of well-developed tourism, with luxury hotels, restaurants, tavernas and bars for every occasion. Anyone exploring on foot will wander freely and may even get lost in a network of roads, tracks and footpaths which lead to both the past and the future of Corfiot life. You will have every opportunity to take part in traditional village festivals, you will meet and talk with the kindly local people, you will share for a while a way of life that springs from the philosophy and culture of Ancient Greece.

Corfu Destination Management Services