Easter Finale: Duck!

Just before midnight on Easter Saturday, Nafplio's main square fills with people. The bishop gives a blessing and declares that Christ is risen. Then the candlelight (which came to Nafplio from Jerusalem via Athens, as it does each Easter) is brought out and sparks a sea of flickering flames, as it spreads from candle to candle.
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Just before midnight on Easter Saturday, Nafplio's main square fills with people. The bishop gives a blessing and declares that Christ is risen. Then the candlelight (which came to Nafplio from Jerusalem via Athens, as it does each Easter) is brought out and sparks a sea of flickering flames, as it spreads from candle to candle. At midnight, huge firecrackers make the square feel like some Middle East disaster before fireworks light up the sky. (Church facades in villages all over Greece are literally pockmarked with these celebratory Easter explosions.) Finally, everyone shares the traditional Easter kiss of love before heading home for a huge after-midnight feast. For weeks after Easter, Greeks will still be greeting each other with "Christ is risen!" (Christos Anesti!).

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