Articles and Features (published quarterly) about Corfu and its many attractions
On Saturday evening the festivities continue, as the faithful attend church services prior to the customary processional marches that take place not only in Corfu Town, but in virtually every village. Everyone comes out to walk in these processionals, which is led by the priests and by altar boys carrying Holy relics and church banners and insignias, followed by village bands playing dirges and funeral marches, and finally the citizens (as well as visitors) in each village carrying lighted candles as a symbol of their faith. As the clock strikes twelve, fireworks erupt across the island, signaling the Resurrection, and in most villages there is music and dancing well into the night.
Easter Sunday itself is a day of feasting, as lambs are roasted on spits by the thousands across the island. It is a day of relaxation and of triumph, culminating a week-long ritual that has been practiced on Corfu for many, many years. Should you be fortunate enough to take part in this fabled celebration, it is an event you will not soon forget.
Note: As this event is an extremely popular one on Corfu, finding accommodations can be difficult if not booked early.
Click here for ideal Easter week accommodations on Corfu
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HHC's Ever Widening Network of Information About the 'Emerald Isle'
Happy Holidays Corfu Magazine and Happy Holidays Corfu Directory began as a catalog of Web sites focusing on the villages of Kontokali, Gouvia, Dassia and Ipsos. Due to the success of the directory during its first year, and also due to the extraordinary reception of Happy Holidays Corfu Magazine (which had over 1,000 page views in its first two days after publication on the Internet), the scope of the directory and the magazine has been expanded to include Corfu Town. What's more, the directory will be expanded next spring to include the West and Northwest coastal areas, including the resorts of Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Kassiopi and Archaravi. Happy Holidays Corfu Magazine has been expanded as well, so please take time to read and enjoy this issue, as well as future publications.
As many readers already know, the Greek Easter (Pasca) is the year's major holiday celebration for all Greece; and nowhere are the festivities more vibrant than on Corfu. Indeed, many Greeks make it a point each year to travel from their homes to Corfu to partake in Corfu's renowned Easter celebration.
Observance of the Resurrection begins a week before Easter Sunday with daily devotional services in each and every Greek Orthodox Church. On the morning of Holy Saturday, Corfiots and visitors alike gather on the Liston for the famous 'pot throwing' festival, in which, at precisely 11:00 a.m., and as the bells from every church on Corfu peel out, clay pots are pitched from nearly every window in the town. To the delight of spectators, a 5-minute-long spectacle of flying (and smashing) pottery ensues, (Mind your head!), not to mention a riotous calamity of broken clay shards that line the streets in the aftermath. The significance of the event is the symbolic smashing of one's trials and tribulations at the time of the Saviour's rebirth, and the spectacle is one that visitors will not forget.
"All Inclusive" Holidays vs. Independent Excursions
While it has been the recent trend on Corfu for tour operators to book 'all inclusive' holidays at large resorts, many smaller independent hotels and restaurants on Corfu feature excellent and distinctive service for the independent traveller. Visit and bookmark the following sites for future reference.
Hero paramedic Jonathan Towell died battling a blaze on his retirement yacht in Corfu. The 58-year-old, who grew up in Cheltenham, was on board his boat Blue Chip when it exploded into a fireball.
Sailing fanatic Mr Towell, who had been cruising and fishing around the Greek islands for almost four years, was overcome by fumes as he fought to control the inferno.His body was found on the stairs of his burnt out boat. Police believe he was trying to escape the cabin when he collapsed.
The heartbreaking news of the tragedy has shattered Mr Towell's family and friends in Gloucestershire.His sister-in-law Eve Towell, who is married to Mr Towell's brother Mark, 63, said: "He was a friendly guy and had lots of friends on the Greek islands."He spoke to everybody and anybody and loved his life out there. Sailing was his one passion. People used to say he lived for the water."
The fatal blaze broke out in the cabin while the boat was anchored off Ipsos at 3am on Tuesday. Local people raised the alarm but Mr Towell was dead by the time port authorities and the fire brigade reached his 34ft Jeanneau yacht. A Greek man, who had attended a navigation course with Mr Towell and spent the evening with him, was woken up in his nearby boat at 3.30 am. He saw giant flames leaping up from Blue Chip and tried to control the fire but was unable to help. An onlooker said: "There was a loud bang and a flash of light. The boat was engulfed in flames.It was terrifying and went up in seconds. There was no chance anyone would be able to get out alive."
A Greek police spokesman said: "We assume Mr Towell remained aboard the vessel in an attempt to fight the blaze himself but he was overpowered by the fumes."
Yesterday the remains of the yacht were still in the harbour waiting to be examined by fire investigators. An investigation has been launched by Corfu Harbour Police and an island medical coroner.
Mrs Towell, who lives in Bishop's Cleeve, said the family was inconsolable. She and her husband had visited former Naunton Park School pupil Mr Towell in Greece last June. She said: "All three of the brothers were sailing fanatics and had done it from a young age."I don't doubt the fact he tried to fight the fire himself. Everything he owned was on that boat because it was his home so he wouldn't have walked away from it.
Reprinted from the Glouchestershire Echo
"He was a very fit and healthy man. He would climb to the top of the mast no problem. He used to swim all the time and used to dive down underneath the boat to make sure the anchor was secure. "He was very aware of safety on the boat and had to be because he lived in it and would never put himself in danger."Hopefully the investigation will find out what caused the fire."
Mrs Towell said her brother-in-law was happy in his retirement on the Greek islands. She said: "It's probably one of the nicest places to sail around because of all the changes in scenery and the beautiful islands. He enjoyed his time out there and had no plans to come back to England.
"I've tried to contact the people he met while he was out there. There were quite a few retired people out there sailing around and they all knew each other. Jonathan was quite well-known."
Mr Towell worked as a mechanic for Bristol Street Motors in Cheltenham before training as an ambulance paramedic and working in Oxfordshire. He later bought a boat and lived in it along the Thames before retiring to Greece in 2002.
Mr Towell hit the headlines in April 1993 when he dived into a river and stopped a burning boat running into a bank where 20 people were standing. Two men aboard the cabin cruiser had dived into the river after the craft caught fire at Radcot, Oxfordshire. They were pulled from the water by bystanders and taken to hospital with burns to their legs. But, as the blazing cruiser drifted towards a group of moored boats, Mr Towell ignored safety warnings and dived from his own boat into the water. Mr Towell was rewarded for his bravery by former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd who presented him with a Distinguished Service Award at Oxford Ambulance Station in 1993. The Foreign Office is organising for Mr Towell's body to be brought back to the UK. A spokesman said: "We'll be providing consular assistance to Mr Towell's family but the investigation is being led by the Greek authorities.
"Mr Towell leaves behind two children, Helen and Keith, and several grandchildren. He has a twin brother called Matthew, who lives in Australia, and a nephew, Stephen, who lives in Tewkesbury. His wife Shirley, from whom Mr Towell was separated, lives in Oxfordshire.
