The Easter Resurrection Service at a Greek Orthodox church in the Troad (Source: The Illustrated London News, April 20, 1878)
The accounts of the philhellenes who traveled to revolutionary Greece and the books they published detailing their experiences are important historical sources, as they offer us insight and knowledge not only about the events of the revolution but also about the way of life, customs, and celebrations of the Greeks in the 1820s.
How was Easter celebrated during the years of the Greek War of Independence? Interesting information about Holy Saturday and the celebration of the Resurrection is provided by the British philhellene Julius Millingen, who was in Nafplio during Holy Week in 1825.
Who was Millingen;
Το βιβλίο «Memoirs of the Affairs of Greece» (1831)
Julius Michael Millingen was a British doctor and author. He was born in London on July 19, 1800, and spent his youth in Calais and Paris. In 1817, he enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, and four years later received his diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh [1]. He was a member of the Philhellenic Committee in London, and in late August 1823, he boarded the ship “Hope” along with two Prussian military officers and two Philhellenic volunteers to travel to Corfu [2]. In Metaxata, Kefalonia, he met Lord Byron and subsequently accompanied him to Messolonghi. In fact, he was one of the doctors who treated the ailing Lord Byron in 1824. He was subsequently appointed surgeon to the Greek Army and was taken prisoner by Ibrahim Pasha. He managed to secure his release following the intervention of Stratford Canning. In November 1826, he went to Smyrna, then to Prusa, and in 1827 he settled permanently in Constantinople. [3]. In 1831, his book titled "Memoirs of the Affairs of Greece with Various Anecdotes Relating to Lord Byron" was published in London, in which he recounts his experiences in revolutionary Greece and with Lord Byron [4].
Holy Saturday of 1825 in Nafplio
In this book, Millingen devotes a page to describing the Orthodox Easter of 1825. Holy Saturday fell on 10 April, while Easter Sunday was celebrated on the 11th. The British philhellene notes characteristically: “For three days, I heard and saw nothing but the incessant firing of pistols and muskets, shouts, songs, drinking, dancing—in a word, every manifestation of the most bacchanalian joy.” On Holy Saturday, members of the Senate, the executive branch, the ministers, and the commander of Palamidi, Christos Fotamaras, went to the Church of Saint Nicholas to take part in the official ceremony. They were all dressed in their finest attire and were accompanied by the military band. Before the service ended, they exchanged the kiss of mutual reconciliation, which, according to Millingen, was indicative of the people’s joy. At the same time, bursts of artillery fire rang out [5].
We conclude that, although nearly 200 years have passed since then, the celebration of the Resurrection and the customs of Holy Saturday night have remained unchanged.
Magda Balafouti
Bibliographic References:
[1] Lee. S. (1894). Dictionary of National Biography (Vol. 37). New York: Macmillan and Co., p. 439.
[2] Millingen, J. (1831). Memoirs of the Affairs of Greece with Various anecdotes relating to Lord Byron. London: John Rodwell.
[3] Lee. S., ο.π., p. 440
[4] https://www.lordbyron.org/contents.php?doc=JuMilli.1831.Contents&choose=Letters&select=JuMilli1878
[5] Millingen, ό.π., p. 272.
