It seems that during each of the last five years of writing this blog, we have attended a funeral during Great Lent. This year, so far, we have not been to a funeral. Instead, this year, we attended a joyous event, an Agiasmo -- a blessing for a new office. Cousin John moved his business into a brand new construction, 2 story office complex. He bought the unit, and we think it is a wonderful space and wish him much success. And, as any good Orthodox Christian would, John arranged for the priest to come to bless the new office with prayers and holy water. That is what the Agiasmo is.
There were about thirty people in the office. There were seats for everyone, and in the middle of the room was a long meeting table with two icons, a bowl of water, a bundle of fresh rosemary and a candle. That was set up for the priest. The priest will provide the incense, the incense burner, and the bundle of basil or rosemary, or whatever beautiful herb bundle is available at that time. John made sure that everyone was together when the priest arrived so we could pray together.
In traditional fashion, the priest chanted his part, and the people provided the response. We do not usually see a Psalti (chantor) for house/office blessings. That was fine since the 30 or so people in attendance knew the responses, the prayers, and the process. The priest blesses the water by dipping a cross in the water and dipping the bundle of herbs in the water. He then goes around the home (office in this case) and sprinkles holy water all over each room while chanting a prayer.
Then, at the end of the prayers, Father took his bundle of rosemary leaves and his cross and blessed each individual on the head, and gave everyone a chance to kiss the cross. The blessing was over. That's what we thought, until the moment when Cousin John opened the front door and two men walked in carrying four big trays of food. What a surprise!
Knowing that we are in the middle of Great Lent, John respected the fast and went for a menu that excluded meat and cheese. The offerings included french fried potatoes, calamari rings (squid), tossed salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce, and grilled pita bread. He did also offer cocktail sauce on the side for the calamari.
In typical Greek fashion, everyone brought something along for this gathering. We supplied some cut fruit, one Theia made Pasta Flora, another made Melamokarona, and someone brought Halva, and another family made some Lenten Koulourakia. Yes, this was a wonderful family event, not just an Agiasmo for our cousin's new business. We enjoyed being included, and with the sweet endings to the meal, we had a sweet ending to this Agiasmo. Not everyone makes an Agiasmo into an event, but Cousin John did. And, he did it in a way that respected our faith, and brought together our family for a positive, beautiful blessing. We pray that this will bring a positive effect on his new enterprise.
 |
| A Lenten semolina and nut based halva in a Bundt cake pan (see our own entry from March 31, 2012). |
 |
| Our theia's Pasta Flora. It was delicious, fruity and a perfect accompaniment to our coffee and tea. Soon we will post our own entry on this tasty Lenten desert. |
 |
Moustokouloura (vegan cookies using grape must). |
No comments:
Post a Comment