Mrs.Sarakosti

Many of the traditions that bond the generations together occur during the Easter feast. Easter is the most sacred and celebrated of all of the Greek holidays. It begins with a 40-day fast, of the 40 days, one week is chosen for the complete fast, during that time only natural foods are eaten. No meats, dairy, fish, poultry or dishes that are prepared with these foods can be eaten. Shellfish can be eaten, however three days a week are meatless days during the remaining weeks of the fast. During Holy Week complete fasting is to take place. Palm Sunday, which is the first day of the Holy Week, is a day when only fish and fish courses are served.

Long ago in order to count the days people used to draw Mrs.Sarakosti. They didn't put a mouth on her face because she represented the 7 weeks fast period before Easter. Her hands are tangled because of the many prayers. She used to have seven legs, one for each week of the Sarakosti. Each Saturday they cut one leg of her. In Chios (a Greek island), people cut her last leg on Holy Saturday and they put it into a dry fig. They mixed this fig with some others and the one who managed to find it, it would bring him luck.