THE EASTER BONFIRE (ANAFANOS)
An Easter custom at a village in
the Pindos Massive
By Vassilis C. Militsis
The Anafanos, the Easter
bonfire, is a favorite custom of my native village, Messenikolas, observed at
the mass of Easter night, when the Resurrection of Jesus is celebrated. All
villagers recall happy childhood memories connected to this custom. This
bonfire was the children’s work, which was ignited in the evening before Easter
Sunday probably to symbolize the burning of Judas, the disciple that betrayed
his Master.
Many years ago, when the village
throbbed with more life than today, the building of the Anafanos was a
real kids’ fete, which lasted the whole Passion Week.
The older boys of the village
undertook the task of cutting down small cedar and holly bushes, which the
younger ones hauled to the site appointed for the building of the bonfire right
at the top of the village.
There they piled up the bushes
building a stack that reached higher than 30 feet. The stack was bound to a
vertical wooden axis. This entire task was already completed by Easter Eve and
everybody beamed with pride in having contributed to the construction of the Anafanos.
On Saturday evening all the kids
gathered around the Anafanos to await the Resurrection announcement by
the priest on the churchyard – the church was in full view from the place – and
to guard the bonfire from the envious kids of the nearby village who always
attempted to thwart the Anafanos by prematurely putting fire to it. On
the other hand, that was also the kids’ excuse to spend the whole night
outdoors because in those days the Resurrection celebration took place at 4
o’clock in the morning. The time was spent merrily with songs, jokes and pranks,
and at the same time the kids had the opportunity of enjoying the enthralling
night view of the vast plain of Thessaly with the innumerable lights of the
villages that merged with the glimmer of the stars.
At midnight the Resurrection
fireworks from the 12-mile distant town of Karditsa were clearly visible, as
the town celebrated the Resurrection at that time, but the Messenikolas kids
had to wait four more hours to start their own pyrotechnics by burning the
Easter Bonfire.
During the long vigil until the
Resurrection it could get bitter cold, therefore the children raided the nearby
fences and yards to get the necessary fuel for their warming.
As soon as the kids saw the first
churchgoers coming out of the church with their candles lit, they put fire to
the stack all around it. After a few moments the blaze was so bright that it
turned the night into day. Then the voice of the priest and of the entire
congregation as well as that of the children rang in the night by chanting the
Resurrection canticle Christ is Risen. The atmosphere was really devout.
Despite the meager number of
children nowadays, this custom still goes on.
