Cultural Review

Experiencing a Greek Orthodox Church Festival

As soon as my parents and I got out of the car, my senses were overwhelmed. I saw hundreds of beaming faces under one giant tent. I smelled savory meats sizzling on grills. I heard “Opa!” as the saganaki, or flaming cheese, was flipped in a pan. We took a place in line, waiting to order our own food. I observed the other visitors. Both churchgoers and non churchgoers happily chatted with each other.  They greeted family and laughed with old friends. We got our food, and founds our seats at one of the two hundred plastic dining tables. I took it upon myself to try the greatest variety of Greek food as possible. I tasted the mutton, tried the pork shish kabobs, ate some binokita (spinach & feta cheese in fried bread), picked at the grape weed and absolutely loved the pita bread. While munching on this enticing new food, I studied my surroundings. On one edge of the tent, a bouncy house and backyard games were set up for children. Just behind me, vendors were selling homemade trinkets and jewelry. On the other end of the tent was a stage. A bass player, a guitarist, a mandolin player, and a singer performed grecian style music while children danced before them. Next, we moved inside the church itself to attend a lesson about their religion. We sat down in their small chapel room. The pastor explained to us the meaning of each decorative feature. The painted portraits of saints sat above the chapel’s stages. On the stage was a golden gate, with painted pictures of Jesus and Mary on either side. Past the gate was a model of the Ark of the Covenant. Greek letters spelled out various religious phrases throughout the display. After these explanations, he taught what set the Greek orthodox apart from other denominations. For one, they believe where you are going in your faith is more important than where you are. The other visitors asked questions regarding what the church believes; they were especially curious to hear the Greek Orthodox stand on baptism.  When the lesson was complete, it was back outside to the tent for desserts. I simply bought chocolate cake, and tried the flakey, honey-infused baklava. Satisfied with the sweet desserts, we left.

I enjoyed the entire experience. First, the food was amazing. I plan on going to a Greek restaurant at some point, because if what I tried was a good representation, Greek food may become my favorite. I’ve tried mutton, pork shish kebabs, and pita bread before, but their food still passed my expectations. What I hadn’t previously tasted, the grape weed, binokita, and their rendition of rice were all also very flavorful and interesting. Second, everyone was happy and having a great time. Every detail of the festival was fun for everyone and still tied back to a deep sense of culture and heritage. It was maintained in the food, the sing and dancing, and the everyone's happy faces. Church regulars and visitors alike enjoyed this 50th annual Greek festival. The festival was held to attract to new members to the church. My family is christian, so I was already familiar with the christian faith. However, their Greek Orthodox denomination had some interesting variances to what I had previously experienced. For example, they practice both strong symbolism in their chapel’s display. From what I previously understood, thes would mean they lean towards a very specific and strict interpretation of the bible. I was surprised to learn how accepting they are of different interpretations. The pastor explained that they try not to judge what other denominations believe, and instead celebrate the direction a person is going versus judge where they are in faith. I very much appreciate this interpretation. Overall, the experience was both exciting and intriguing. It’s definitely worth further exploring what the Greek Orthodox culture has to offer.