"Come, Be Greek for a Day" is the motto of an event coming up next weekend. The 37th annual San Jose Greek Festival will be held at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1260 Davis. Since parking is limited, shuttle service will be provided from nearby locations on The Alameda.
The weekend features many highlights of Greek culture with authentic food (like grilled lamb, salads and baklava), live music, arts and crafts, dancing, travelogues of Greek tourist attractions and authentic Greek items for purchase - clothing, jewelry, folk music CDs and more.
Visitors can learn much about the traditional Christianity of Greece. There will be tours of the church, and a bookstore will be open selling books and religious items like incense, crosses and icons (stylized artwork in which wood and paint "are transformed through faith ... to become a window to heaven"). When Orthodox Christians enter a church, they often bow, make the sign of the cross, offer a prayer and kiss one of these lovely icons.
If you would like to know more about Greek culture and religion, the hours are Friday, May 30, from 5 - 10 p.m., Saturday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $5, but discount coupons are often available. Call (408) 246-2770 for more information.
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In his classic book, "The Orthodox Church," Timothy Ware tells a story about how Christianity came to Russia. Vladimir, the pagan prince of Kiev, sent some missionaries to visit various countries and report back to him about the religions they observed there. They witnessed Muslim and Catholic worship, but were not impressed. Then they attended a Greek Orthodox service in Constantinople.
"We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere on earth. We cannot describe it to you: only this we know, that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget that beauty."
Russia thus became fertile soil for missionaries of the Greek Orthodox Church. Missionaries from Russia in turn brought the faith to our country when Alaska and parts of the Northern California coast were Russian colonies. Missionaries from Constantinople were also responsible for spreading Christianity throughout Eastern Europe.
Thousands of Orthodox immigrated to the United States in the 19th century, and today total membership in North America is approximately 6 million.
A gradual process of estrangement between the eastern and western branches of Christianity resulted in a final break in relations - the Great Schism of 1054. One of the main points of contention was the increasing claims of special authority by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.
Today, Eastern Orthodoxy consists of a family of self-governing churches held together by common doctrine and shared sacraments. The honorary head is the Patriarch of Constantinople, known as the Ecumenical Patriarch, but he has no real power over the other independent Orthodox churches like those in Russia, Serbia or Bulgaria.
The Orthodox recognize seven sacraments (Holy Mysteries): Baptism, Chrismation (similar to confirmation but administered immediately after baptism), Holy Eucharist (communion), Penance (confession), Marriage, Holy Unction (anointing with holy oil for physical healing) and Ordination.
Other characteristics of Orthodoxy are reverence for the Bible (which includes some extra books sometimes referred to as the "Apocrypha"), and a belief in the Nicene Creed (a summary of the Christian faith dating from the fourth century that has a slightly different wording than in Western churches).
They follow the ancient Julian calendar (causing Easter and other holy days to fall on different dates than on our standard calendars), and priests may have wives only if they married before ordination.
Chuck Flagg Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Reach him at cflagg@svnewspapers.com.
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