克里特島：體驗(yàn)希臘式復(fù)活節(jié)

復(fù)活節(jié)是基督教最重要的節(jié)日，是紀(jì)念耶穌基督被釘死在十字架之后第三天復(fù)活的日子。基督徒認(rèn)為，復(fù)活節(jié)象征著重生與希望。公元325年，尼西亞宗教會議規(guī)定，每年過春分月圓后的第一個星期天為復(fù)活節(jié)。其日期是不固定的，通常要查看日歷才知道。計(jì)算復(fù)活節(jié)的方法自古以來均十分復(fù)雜，而羅馬教會和東正教會的計(jì)算亦略有差異，令東西復(fù)活節(jié)可在不同日子出現(xiàn)。例如2014年的復(fù)活節(jié)都是4月20日，而今年西歐的復(fù)活節(jié)是4月5日，東正教的復(fù)活節(jié)則是4月12日。

在慶祝活動方面，各國也發(fā)展出各有特色的傳統(tǒng)，如美國就有復(fù)活節(jié)兔子和尋找復(fù)活節(jié)彩蛋的游戲。在信奉東正教的希臘，人們則喜歡在復(fù)活節(jié)前夜用焰火和爆竹慶祝（如希臘的希俄斯島，人們就會用傳統(tǒng)的土制火箭慶祝，上演一場火箭大戰(zhàn)）。今年復(fù)活節(jié)，不如就加入希臘人的隊(duì)伍當(dāng)中，體驗(yàn)東正教的復(fù)活節(jié)吧！

I am not very 1）religious， but I have come to realise that there is more to Easter than traffic jams and Cadbury Creme Eggs注1. For the last four years， I’ve travelled to Crete， arriving around Good Friday注2 and 2）taking advantage of the holiday weekend. Greek Easter is a truly wonderful experience. I can’t 3）recommend it highly enough.

Crete might not be the 4）obvious choice if you’re heading to a Greek island， whatever the time of year. It does not have the same beauty of—say—Santorini or the picture postcard 5）charm of Hydra， Paros and many others. And Agios Nikolaos， where I stay， is unlikely to appear on the front cover of many travel books. There’s a harbour， a 6）marina， a lake， several beaches and a main square， but it took me months to work out how they were connected and there are still parts of the place I’ve never visited because I’m not sure how to drive there.

And yet Agios Nikolaos has a charm which grows on you the longer you stay. I love to sit outside a café in the harbour， simply watching life 7）slide by…people walking， kids on motorbikes， and， in front of me， the Aegean Sea a crystal blue that puts the rest of the Mediterranean to shame. Yes， there are dozens of tourist shops selling such 8）items as soaps and large knives. Yes， 9）cruise ships 10）pull in and let out crowds of visitors who will be gone before the sun sets. But this is a proper， working town with a life and a 11）tempo of its own.

At its very heart is a large lake—Voulismeni by name—and it’s a key part of the Easter story. According to local legend it is bottomless and it does have a strangely magical feel. You get the sense that the entire town could fit into this area and， at midnight on Holy Saturday， that is exactly what it does.

Easter is the most important day in the Greek calendar， even more important than Christmas. Starting on Clean Monday， it actually lasts 49 days， during which most Greeks will eat no meat or fish—nothing with blood.

The churches—hundreds of them—are 12）decorated beautifully， the 13）altars covered with buds and flowers that have been 14）woven together. On Thursday， everyone busies themselves colouring eggs （which 15）represent rebirth） with red paint （the colour of blood）. Crowds take to the street on Friday night with priests 16）chanting as the 17）bier， which represents Christ’s burial place， is carried through the streets. Everyone comes out onto their 18）balconies， greeting it with 19）incense and rose water as it passes.

But it’s the Saturday I enjoy most. The Greeks love handing out gifts at the best of times， but on this day they take it to another level with chocolate eggs， traditional cakes and sweet Easter 20）loaves. As night falls on Agios Nikolaos， everyone arrives at the lake. You have to imagine a thousand people， standing in the darkness， surrounding the water on two levels. Everyone is holding candles. There are balloon sellers and children throwing fire crackers in every direction…they go off with loud explosions.

Just before midnight， the bells of the church of St George begin to ring and the priests 21）emerge， chanting in deep voices. They are joined by their followers and carry a flame which has been flown to Athens all the way from Jerusalem where it has toured across Greece. This is my favourite moment. As I watch， the tiny flame is passed from one candle to the next， spreading until the 22）flickering lights are all around me. It’s a beautiful sight and night turns into day as hundreds of fireworks are 23）let off.

At the same time， a single fireball travels down a wire to the centre of the lake where a wooden statue of Judas Iscariot注3 stands on a floating platform. All of this is his 24）fault and he must pay， exploding into flame and， at the same time， melting away the 25）sins of the past year. The bells are still ringing. The priests are still chanting. People are already hitting the 26）raki and embracing each other. It is impossible not to feel 27）overcome with happiness.

And then it’s all over. Greek families who have been 28）fasting all day go off for a dinner which begins with a traditional soup—magiritsa. Lamb will also be on the menu the following day， for Easter Sunday is another celebration.

Crete is an excellent holiday destination， any time of year. Drive ten minutes out of Agios Nikolaos and you will find yourself a landscape that hasn’t changed in a thousand years with tiny， hilltop villages， breath-taking 29）monasteries and lovely 30）gorge walks. All you have to do is find the exit…through the main square and the first on your right. The road is narrow and hard to spot， but if you’re heading uphill， you’re probably going the right way.

我并不是很虔誠的教徒，但我終于意識到復(fù)活節(jié)不僅僅只有塞車和吉百利奶油彩蛋。在過去四年，我都會利用周末的公眾假期來到克里特島，一般在耶穌受難日左右抵達(dá)。在希臘過復(fù)活節(jié)的確是一次無與倫比的體驗(yàn)，我極力推薦。

如果你要去希臘的某一個島嶼，克里特島也許不是第一選擇，不管是在哪一個時節(jié)。它沒有圣托里尼島那樣的美景，也缺乏像伊茲拉島、帕羅斯島及其他許多島嶼明信片般的迷人魅力。而我停留的圣尼古拉奧斯城，大概也不會出現(xiàn)在旅游指南的封面。……