Greece Good Friday night at Pyrgos

Below Profítis Ilías, on a 350-meter-high ridge, lies the highest village of Santorini, the picturesque Pyrgos. On Good Friday, several tens of thousands of torches are lit here. Open-topped cans filled with sawdust and paraffin are distributed on walls and roofs throughout the village. At nightfall, each of the participants goes with a gas burner to his assigned area. On a signal then all the torches are lit. The spectacle can be seen from afar. But being in the middle of the event is overwhelming.

Pyrgos consists of narrow alleys and passages. Vehicles must be parked outside.

Easter and Good Friday are rarely on the same date in Greece as in the West, because the Greek Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar.