Wednesday, 15 April 2009
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Looking Inside – Holy Tuesday | Cyprus Pascha 2009 Blog
With the basics of travel now on their way to being sorted out, we spent Tuesday configuring Internet access, sipping coffee alongside a cobblestone street, and visiting the small Church of St. Nicholas in the old part of Polis, the nearest big town. There are some things I really love about travel and hot coffee with no where in particular to be has got to be near the top of my list. Speaking of food, it's neat to be in a place where there is a direct connection to regional and seasonal fare and the corresponding prices in the market. We stocked our little kitchen with all sorts of goodies but it was shocking to pay nearly 3 Euro for a small carton of soy milk and only 63 cents for a big deli container of olives. I know we shouldn't have been surprised that the hummus was a quarter of the price of what I pay at home, but I'm thrilled to have artichokes and olives and all the lovely Mediterranean food actually be less expensive than some packaged alternative.
Leaving Grandma with a sleeping toddler, that evening Jake and I attended the Bridegroom Matins service at St. Andrew's Church in Polis—the painted one he had toured on Monday. While there is something beautiful about worshiping in the little Church in our village of Droushia, this was certainly awe inspiring. Surrounded by icons from floor to ceiling, we listened to not only beautiful chanting, but an entire congregation who sang out the hymns by heart.
So much is assumed about the faithful in Orthodox countries, especially by us converts who have little to no connection with those who have been practicing their faith in this way since birth. No matter what sweeping generalizations or unfortunate stereotypes may have plagued our perception, it was clear that this Church was filled with people who love God deeply. When it came time to sing about the treachery of Judas, despite the language barrier, I could hear the contempt held for the betrayer in the near shouts that echoed through the room. Yet, when it came time to beg that we would not fall into his sin, all around the Church you could see people whispering these words too, meaning every prayer.
We left the service and walked across the street to the supermarket (really super, not just in name) and picked up several extra packets of red dye. I'm looking forward to dyeing eggs on Thursday with Audrey for the first time. She's been entranced by the Pascha decorations popping up all over the place and is a big fan of the giant colored eggs that adorn various buildings. I know this will be one of the wonderfully practical and theologically rich activities that translates so well for small children. That, and the fact she gets to play with generally fragile things AND make a paint-related mess at the same time.
