Just before the break for Greek Orthodox Easter, the team of Erasmus along with the teams of the entire Kyvernitis group gathered in the company’s Atrium for a warm get together to exchange Season’s wishes and receive the traditional “lampada
*” (Easter candle). The candles were offered by the company to all employees in a gesture which supported the Make a Wish foundation (
makeawish.gr), a fundraising initiative which takes the wishes of children who suffer from serious illness and turns their dreams into reality. Along with the candle, the company handed out a pair of metal straws to all employees to encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly habits and support Erasmus’ pledge to ban the meetings industry from single use plastic, as part of the IAPCO “Ticky the turtle” campaign.
*About the “lampada” tradition: During the Holy Service on Easter midnight, everyone at church holds a special candle (called “lampada”). Just minutes before the relevant extract about the Rising of Jesus Christ is read out from the Holy Gospel, the priest hands out the Holy Light which has been transferred from the Holy Grave in Jerusalem to Greece by plane. The first one to receive the Holy Light from the Priest immediately shares it with the rest of the Christians attending the Service and when the Priest reads out the Holy Gospel everyone at Church has a lit candle and they chant in chorus “Christ has risen from the dead …”. As per Greek tradition, the “lampada” is an Easter gift offered to every child from their Godfather or Godmother along with a pair of shoes and a chocolate egg.