Every year a few days before Easter, throughout the Holy Week, there is a special kind of litany on Greek media: the cost of Easter table, the cost of fuel, the cost of ferry tickets, the cost of the traditional gifts to godchildren, that is the chocolate egg and the Easter candle.
And year by year, the cost always rise compared to the previous year, in contrast to wages and pensions.
Whether religious or atheists, whether young or old, Greeks love the Easter traditions that culminate in an opulent lunch on Easter day, where the lamb or the goat are the kings, and a less opulent but also precious dinner on Saturday after the Resurrection.
These lambs and goats are quite expensive this year, because they are the kings. Akilo costs more or less 12 euros at the supermarket and over €17-18 in neighborhood’s butcheries.
Of course, the lamb’s or goat’s nationality, the country of origin plays a role in setting the price and there is a specific guide for consumers how to confirm the meat is Greek or “baptized” Greek.
A whole lamb on the spit which weighs normally 7 to 8 kilos would then cost 100 euros at least. The price upward is certainly open and could reach 200 euros. Alone for the lamb.
Then one has to add the cost for kokoretsi, a delicacy on the spit made of consisting of lamb or goat intestines wrapped around seasoned offal, including sweetbreads, hearts and lungs. It is certainly cheaper but it still cost 15-17 euros per kilo. And a family buys or prepares at home a kokoretsi roll of 5 kilos at least.
One then adds other traditional things that come on the table and that is several salads and cheeses, pies, fried balls, stuffed vine leaves and I don’t know what the queen of the household would think of to offer. Add the cost of wine and beer and ouzo, refreshments for the kids and sweets… Can you imagine the total cost?
Cost of the Easter table: surveys
This year, the Easter table is 6.2%-6.3% more expensive than the previous year, according to the cost estimate of the Institute of Commerce & Services of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (INEMY of ESEE).
In total, a table for four to six people will cost an average of 99.45 to 142.95 euros – as shown by on-site price surveys and interviews with market representatives conducted by INEMY teams.
The ESEE Institute’s cost surveys follow a consistent methodology and are considered among the most objective, since they cover supermarket chains, specialized stores and the Varvakio meat market. Their measurements reveal a fairly wide range of prices, as they include a range of products of different quality, in several local markets and different types of stores.
However, the cost of the Easter table could be much higher
It is worth mentioning, however, that there are at least three other – mostly empirical – estimates for the cost of the Easter table, some of which give different prices, as they calculate more people and larger quantities and/or the cost of the Holy Saturday dinner.
The president of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vasilis Korkidis, raises the cost of this year’s Easter table from 190 to over 220 euros for six to eight people.
The Consumers Institute (INKA) – Consumers Federation of Greece, has the most expensive estimate of all, at 361 euros, up from 296 last year for six to eight people.
Additional cost for the Easter holidays
Expensive is also the fuel and it’s price is important as Greeks love to travel to the countryside, whether back home to their villages, or to the islands.
And here comes the shock due to the ferry prices. Depending on the route a family of four with their car could have to fork out a few hundred euros.
If one has a few godchildren add to the general budget for the Easter days at least 50 euros per child for the essential chocolate egg and the Easter candle. In my days, the godparents would bring also spring shoes, another nice Greek tradition.
Total cost of a few Easter days? I better refrain from trying to summing up.
Is it worth it? It surely is! Easter is only once a year. Thank God.
