Orthodox Easter celebrations in Greece overshadowed by economic hardship

The economic crisis has overshadowed the Orthodox Easter celebrations in Greece this year, Euronews reports.  Normally during this time, families gather for elaborate meals to celebrate the holiday.  But as Greece struggles with its fifth year of recession, with many unemployed or on reduced salaries or pensions, austerity rather than abundance is the theme for family Easter feasts.

The Greek Commerce Confederation said the cost of the traditional Easter meal should be down by 10.5 percent from last year. However, vendors expect their sales to have fallen by about 10 percent because of the recession.

Greece's deep recession was triggered by the drop in consumption by Greeks after austerity measures were imposed including cuts to jobs, wages, pensions, and benefits. It has caused thousands of businesses to close.  53 percent of the public said they were barely getting by, 19 percent have tapped into their savings, and 16 percent are in debt.

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D. Beeksma

One of the growing crowd of American "nones" herself, Deborah is a prolific writer who finds religion, spirituality and the impact of belief (and non-belief) on culture inspiring, fascinating and at times, disturbing. She hosts the God Discussion show and handles the site's technical work. Her education and background is in business, ecommerce and law.

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