Celebrating Greek Orthodox Easter

So seeing as it's the Holy Week, I thought I would take a minute to explain why we Greeks (Orthodox) celebrate differently to the rest of the world. Some people think that Orthodox Easter is about lamb on the spit and a different Easter date. But why do we do things "differently"?

While Easter is a 40 day event (Sarakosti), it all comes down to Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. This is the week leading up to and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even though I don't attend church that often, I find that the ceremonies I attend are beautiful.

We also fast either for 40 days, or Holy Week. This means once you have fish as your only protein on Palm Sunday, the rest of the week we abstain from meat, dairy, alcohol and sex. With so many yummy Greek recipes, and vegan, too, there's no end to options. Lenten fasting is over after the Paschal Divine Liturgy on Saturday. To break the fast, a dish of Magiritsa is served, followed by the cracking of red eggs. The red eggs symbolise the blood of Christ and rebirth. The eggs are cracked together with another person's egg, the cracker says "Christos Anesti" (Christ Has Risen) and the other person responds "Alithos Anesti" (Truly He Has Risen). This greeting is also used for the 40 days following Easter. One thing that people do that is annoying is replying "Alithos, mate". To me, that takes away the meaning behind it.

Right, so after midnight, you've gone to sleep with a tummy full of gut soup and eggs, what do you get for lunch? That's right, lamb on the spit! The day is filled with family, friends and most importantly FOOD!

So why do we celebrate on a different date? The Eastern Orthodox Church follows the Gregorian calendar, in most years Western Christian churches and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on different dates. In 2013, for example, Easter will be celebrated on March 31 by Western churches and May 5 by Orthodox churches. But in 2011, the two celebrations occurred on the same date, April 24. The formula for Easter- the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox" - is identical for both Western and Orthodox Easters, but the churches base the dates on different calendars: Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, the standard calendar for much of the world, and Orthodox churches use the older, Julian calendar.

I wanted to write more but I couldn't think of anything else. Maybe this should be a small Paschal series?

Nails of the Day

So being a bit of a lazy bum lately, I thought I would do a mini post on a Sunday night! I haven't done my nails in ages, and have to either run down what I have or give them away.

OPI is my preferred nail polish of choice. While I own a few Revlon polishes and a couple others, I'm not really a fan of them. I have approximately 35 bottles, with more on the way! I like the uniformity of owning the one brand, something I also do when it comes to cosmetics and skin care.

While I like the look of the Butter London polishes, and the same with Essie, I can't allow myself to buy them as it would ruin my OPI collection!

More to the point, here are today's nails: China Glaze "For Audrey" and OPI "Last Friday Night". Excuse the wonky polish application, it's been a while. And as a relapsed nail biter my nail beds are pretty stuffed :(

I should probably do a weekly OPI post, definitely a good way to wear them all!

Kosmea Spa Treatment

I had been contemplating a spa day, just to spoil myself as my skin is getting older. How it was at 15 is totally different to today at 26. When Celeste of Becoming Beautiful and Adelaide Beauty Bloggers advised us she had organised with Kosmea for us to receive a complimentary 60 minute spa treatment, I jumped at the chance!

Although I had heard of Kosmea's Rose Hip oil before, I didn't realise they had a skin care range. I also didn't know they had a Day Spa. This only opened recently. From their website:

"Kosmea is an Australian natural skincare company and an international success story, founded on the healing properties of certified organic rose hip oil.
From the earliest days the company and its products have been developed with a strong vision, determination and commitment to integrity."

I was a bit hesitant at first to go along, as I normally don't like rose scents unless they are from the rose itself. Being of Greek and Cypriot descent, we also use rosewater occasionally in sweets, but again not a fan. I also have sensitive skin, and products like Dermalogica make me break out due to the fragrances added.

Kosmea Australia's first day spa

When I arrived, I filled out a standard questionnaire, detailing any medical conditions, allergies, etc, but I find these forms pretty standard across the board. Within seconds of handing back the form, the lovely Amy came to collect me. The treatment room was so nice, it was cozy, but definitely a friendly environment. The temperature was ambient, not too cold and not too warm. The artwork on the wall was lovely, and was definitely a nice touch.

 

The chair is another of those nice touches in the treatment room

 After losing the jewellery and putting on a robe, I hopped under the sheet. I was ready for a snooze by this stage of the day! I'm glad we weren't completely quiet, Amy and I chatted about houses, kids and my nail polish addiction.

My treatment started with the Purifying Cream Cleanser, a silky feeling cleanser which Amy applied to my skin and then rinsed off. Not like a conventional face wash, it felt lovely and rinsed off nicely, no suds up my nose! After my skin was cleaned, Amy asked me to shut my eyes and used a UV light mask to check out my skin's condition. I have dehydrated skin around my eyes, to the right and left of my lower lip and under my lower lip. I have sun damage to my chin, nose, cheeks and forehead. I don't spend a lot of time in the sun, but didn't even think that I could be doing the damage when driving to work and home!

I then had a hot cloth covering my face. Love this, I miss flying Singapore Airlines just for the hot towels! After this, my covered my face with the Daily Facial Exfoliant. I was hoping I wouldn't rash up or break out. Wow! No bad reaction to my skin at all. While it was on my skin, Amy switched on a steam machine, and that steamed my face while she used a machine similar to the Clarisonic over the exfoliant scrub. I would never in a million years have thought of this! The steam got a bit too much for me at times, but it was nice and warm, and cleared my lungs and nose. After it was switched off, it was a shame, because it felt cold in the room!

The very comfortable treatment bed, which has a sheet and blanket and is so comfy!

Now that my face had been scrubbed down, Amy applied a product which I can't remember the name of, but it had fruit acids in it. While it was settling on my skin, she gave me a massage while we chatted. After asked if I wanted a soft or hard massage, I jumped on hard. Sure, it would be painful, but worth it. At first, I thought Amy was going gentle on me, but after she got stuck into my back, neck, shoulders and all the knots, I felt the pain. And it was GOOD! It was much appreciated, and I felt like snoozing then and there on the table. Absolute bliss!

Some of the products used today

My face was then wiped off and another hot towel covered it. Amy then sprayed my face with the Hydrating Rosewater Mist which smelt so nice. Then it was time to add the Rose Hip Oil to my problem areas. Under my lip, to the sides and massaged around my eyes. This felt so nice, and was a lovely way to finish the treatment. This is applied to problem areas and then you can wear moisturiser over the top. However, instead of moisturiser, Amy applied the Moisturising Lotion SPF 30+, which was non-greasy and has a tint to it, so can be worn by itself.

The cherry blossom artwork

After the treatment, as I was getting dressed, I checked the time. For a complimentary session, I had got my full hour treatment, which I was pleased with and a little surprised. From beginning to end, I didn't feel rushed. The calming decor was a contributing relaxation factor.

Throughout the whole appointment, I didn't feel rushed, and I didn't feel pressured to buy any products. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase any products tonight, but as Kosmea is close to my work, I will be happy to return and purchase the Rose Hip Oil. I think I will visit Kosmea every so often to spoil my skin, as their pricing is reasonable, and it takes a special product to not make my skin react.

My skin after, just a glow from being pampered

I would definitely recommend the Kosmea Day Spa, and I will be going back to buy vouchers for my Mum and MIL. This is how much faith I have in the Kosmea brand and their lovely staff. I can't wait to go back for my next treatment. As a bonus, while writing this review my skin smells like turkish delight and citrus.

You can find the Kosmea Day Spa at 71 Glen Osmond Road, Eastwood. Appointments can be made by calling 1300 130 320.

This service was provided free of charge but all opinions are my own.