The weather was very mixed today, starting with rain, thunder, and some heavy downpours, with a cool breeze from time to time. After the rain let up, I headed up the hillside to gather snails for the Lefka Ori restaurant and returned in bright sunshine with 3 kilos of them. It had become very warm, so I had a swim to cool down (the sea felt colder today after the storm). Many people were sunbathing, but they were forced to sit up against the rocks since the waves were running up over most of the beach.
In the late afternoon it clouded over again, and rain alternated with short sunny spells. There was another downpour before dinner time, then the evening became clear and warmer, which those attending the late service at the church were grateful for.
At midnight up at the church, everyone lit candles, the priest announced Xristos Anesti (Christ has risen), and men took turns ringing the bell. The large pile of wood that the boys had carefully collected to burn the effigy of Judas had gotten very wet during the day, of course, and even with a lot of petrol poured on it, after a small burst of flames it died out. Most people waited a while to see if it would catch, then left disappointed. But as we walked down past the War Memorial we noticed that the fire had taken hold and was blazing away, so we hurried back as far as Mesohori to see the church lit by the flames. (apologies for the poor quality of photos tonight)