The experience of a visitor to the “Huerto de la Virgen” – Newsbeast



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He writes

Dimitra Zarkou

Those who have visited it Mount athos They agree that this is a unique experience that affects each individual in a different but certainly intense way, making the visit unforgettable. And there are many who are not limited to a single visit to the “Huerto de la Virgen”, taking care to renew their appointment.

Amazement, amazement, a mysterious atmosphere, a unique experience that brings the visitor closer than ever to God. A strict program in its observance and so different from that of worldly life, but it reminds you that the beautiful and the important are in the little and the simple. The insignificant things of worldly life on Mount Athos become important and this is one of the many lessons that your visit to the Athonite peninsula offers you.

Regardless of what time of year you are on Mount Athos, it’s worth it. But those who have been found in their days. EasterThey agree that they had a unique experience, a different Easter than the one we celebrate in the “outside world”.

In the “Huerto de la Virgen” there are no flares, noises or dances. The atmosphere is extremely nocturnal, while the message of the resurrection accompanied by joyous sounds, laurels thrown by the abbot to monks and visitors. However, a unique experience is the week after Easter.

Time flows differently.

However, because it is better for someone who has experienced it first hand to describe the whole atmosphere to him, Dimitris Pagkas shares newsbeast.gr, his own experience on Mount Athos. In fact, he is one of the regular visitors, as he makes sure to visit it every year. I would have done the same this year, but he did derision, overturned his plans.

As explained to us at the beginning, to enter the Athonite Peninsula, one must have the “residence”, which approves the entry and accommodation, while determining the rules that must be accepted and followed during your stay there.

On Mount Athos, the Byzantine hour is followed, that is, the evening time is midnight, which is why the services begin at midnight. For example, he tells us: “When they start at 2 in the morning and the sun goes down at 6, it’s like we start at 8”. After all, as Dimitris emphasizes meaning, “time loses its meaning.”

In fact, he remembers the words that a monk said to him during one of his visits: “What are the 80 years that we have lived in front of eternity?”

The week after Easter

“Renewable Week, the week after Easter, has a brilliant character,” he tells us. On the night of Holy Saturday, the procession begins, which is why it is called a procession before the Resurrection, followed by the Resurrection ceremony, after Orthros and the Divine Liturgy. All sequences, both specific and daily, last longer than parishes.

After the end of the service, a “bank,” that is, food, is presented to the monks attending the service and the faithful, while the food is also distributed to the monks, who did not attend due to weakness.

Easter and Easter can catalyze all meals, he tells us. But he explains that “the meat we have outside is fish for them. Meat never on Mount Athos. “

On Easter Monday, in the morning, after the specific procession, the procession of the icon of Axion Esti located in Protato begins, which is why it is called because it is the first church that took place on Mount Athos. And it is located in Karyes, the capital.

In this particular image, as he explains, great honor is bestowed. He is surrounded by chants, often in the presence of the Political Director of Mount Athos, in the monks’ cells, where the monks offer them Easter sweets.

On Easter Tuesday, the icons are liturgized and the other Monasteries continue. The daily service schedule does not change compared to other days, that is, the bell means around 2.30-3pm and ends around 8.30-9pm. Then a bank of food appears as we eat for lunch.

Absolute silence

The dining room is large, of different design in each monastery. In the background the abbot sits with the “tall” elders of the monastery, and after saying the necessary prayer, the meal begins with extreme silence. A monk reads from above the psychedelic readings that generally relate to each holiday, the life of a saint, etc.

“If someone needs something,” Dimitris tells us, “it makes sense from the table, since talking is not allowed.” At some point, a glass hits a metal object and means that attendees can start drinking wine or water. Then a similar thud is heard, signifying the end of the meal.

They all get up and a monk passes by holding a suitable “Panagia” (so called) and the visitors take a small piece. “After we leave and the monks go to work, we are guided to the sacred relics and the sacred relics. Some are incorruptible, like the right ear of Saint John of Chrysostom, who is called in this, the apostle Paul dictated the interpretation of his letters, “he tells us.

Then guests go to their rooms to rest before continuing the tour. Later, dinner follows and then dinner, which is essentially the start of services for the next day.

As for his journey from one monastery to another, Dimitris explains that it is done in a van or on foot. “Our movements are recorded in the registry and the space in each monastery is not violated,” he says.

In addition, like many visitors, he points out that the roads are dirt and rugged. The living rooms, as well as the comforts of the pilgrims, vary according to the monasteries.



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