Apr 13, 2023

Egg-cellent Greek Orthodox Easter traditions alive in aged care

Greek Easter
Residents in Pronia, celebrating Greek Easter. [Source: The Greek Herald / Giorgos Psomiades]

For elderly Greek residents residing in aged care facilities in Australia, the Easter celebrations can be quite different. 

Greek Orthodox Easter is an annual event that holds great significance for many older Greeks all around the world, as it presents an opportunity for families and friends to come together and celebrate while indulging in traditional Greek cuisine.

Some homes have already begun their Greek Easter traditions in an effort to uplift the spirit of residents with innovative ways to celebrate Greek Easter. 

The Greek Herald highlighted the creative approaches taken by facilities such as The Greek Community Home for the Aged in NSW, Pronia, Fronditha Care, Grace of Mary Greek Cypriot Elderly Hostel, and St. Andrew’s Hostel in Victoria.

The Greek Community Home for the Aged in NSW celebrated Easter activities starting with the Clean Monday’s paper-kite day, followed by Tsiknopempti and Apokries. 

The home has organised a barbecue accompanied by Greek music, dancing, and wine. The residents also celebrated the Greek National Anthem and watched Greek TV channels showing the “parelasi” (march) from Syntagma Square in Athens. For Orthodox Easter, residents will enjoy a traditional fare of red-dyed eggs, koulourakia, tsourekia, traditional sweets, and magiritsa soup. They will also visit the local Greek Orthodox Church to attend the “Apokathilosi” or … (explain what kind of service this is) service. An Easter Sunday lunch will include traditional roast lamb, baked vegetables, salad, and customary accompaniments for residents.

Pronia in Victoria is preparing for Easter by decorating white candles with residents. They will also make ‘Lambri’ buns and dye the red eggs, and offer Lenten food and fasting sweets. The Planned Activity Groups centres will offer weekly meetings in four suburbs of Melbourne (Brunswick, Clarinda, Sunshine, Balwyn), where seniors participate and look forward to spending a day filled with activities, entertainment, and good company.

Greek Easter 2
Residents in Pronia, Victoria dyeing red eggs. (Image Source: The Greek Herald / Giorgos Psomiades)

The celebrations at these aged care facilities show how innovative and creative staff members are in bringing joy and happiness to the elderly Greek residents during Easter. 

These activities enrich their spirituality and bring back fond memories of their customary Greek recipes. 

Facility Manager, Katerina Kouris from the Greek Community Home for the Aged said, “Research has proved that keeping the elderly active in the kitchen can make them feel beneficial again and improves their mood, and we can certainly see this happening!” 

These events also provide an opportunity for seniors to meet new friends, socialise, and share experiences that make their Easter celebration unforgettable.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Aged Care Minister wants states and territories to maintain COVID restrictions

Aged care minister, Anika Wells, is urging the leaders of all Australian states and territories to maintain mask and vaccine mandates for visitors across the aged care sector. Read More

My Fair Lady: A Play for All Ages, Keeping Up With the Times

Way back when I was still a teenager, a slightly older gallant swept me off my feet by taking me to one of the most exciting theatrical events of that era: the first ever production of My Fair Lady in Sydney. Since then, like just about everybody else on this planet at that time, I... Read More

Jobs and Skills Summit delivers aged care workforce solutions

The aged care sector will benefit from skilled migrants and older Australian workers due to positive changes for these groups following the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit. Read More
Advertisement