etwinning

1. Kira Sarakosti – An Old
Greek Easter Tradition
Kira Sarakosti, is a small figure, a
paper drawing or sometimes baked
of bread dough, which features
something really unusual: a lady
that looks like a nun who has
seven legs and her hands are
folded as if in prayer. Lady Lent’s
seven legs each represent one
week of the fasting period, from
Clean Monday to the Holy Week.
There is a cross on her forehead
representing her religious beliefs
and she has no mouth, indicating
that she can’t eat because she is
fasting.
WORLD EXCLUSIVES
5th Primary School of Rhodes
Easter custom
A Greek custom that has almost
been lost is that of Kira
Sarakosti, Lady Lent. This is a
custom associated with the
celebration of Easter that
nowadays has
almost disappeared, while
formerly you could find it
throughout Greece with
different variations, as Kira
Sarakosti was used as a
calendar that counted the weeks
of Lent.

2. Lady Lent was used as a
calendar of Lent all over Greece
in the older days, and each week,
starting on Saturday (after Clean
Monday) Greeks used to cut one
leg off. The last leg was cut on
Holy Saturday. This leg, this
small piece of paper, was folded
well and hid within a dried fig or
walnut (in the region of Chios),
which was placed along with
other fruits. Whoever found it
was considered lucky (gourlis).
In some areas, the seventh leg
was squeezed inside the bread of
Resurrection, and was
considered to bring luck to
whoever found it.
Kira Sarakosti