In Greece, Easter is a family affair, a time to feast on all the foods forbidden during Lent, surrounded by friends and family. The day calls for barbecue; the tradition calls for lamb, roast on a spit over charcoal, a very slow cooking method, during which copious amounts of wine will be consumed, news shared, and grudges aired and forgiven. Chops and other meats may replace the traditional fare, but no matter what cuts are put on the table, children will play and make noise, grandfather will overeat and have heartburn and grandmother will despair at the young ones for not having tied the knot yet. Meanwhile, music will play loudly over the loudspeakers, and everyone will dance, young and old alike, even if the young wince at their parents’ choice of music.
I’ve written before about the reasons the Orthodox celebrate Easter later than Western Christians. They are all valid reasons, historic and doctrinal ones, but I’m beginning to think there might be another, more practical reason involved: why hurry to have the Easter early, if you can help it? After all, the weather is so much better later on.
Aristotle, Greek tourist guide 