Major feast days of saints this month without worshippers in Greece due to Covid-19 restrictions

Churches remained closed to worshippers on Friday for the feast day of St. Barbara the Great Martyr, while annual litanies and commemorations have been cancelled due to restrictions to prevent exposure to the Covid-19 virus.

An Archieratical Divine Liturgy was held on Friday morning at the Cathedral of St. Barbara in the old quarter of the Cretan city of Rethymno, officiated by the Metropolitan of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, His Eminence Evgenios.

In the greater Athens area, the municipality of Aghia Varvara, named in honor of the saint, reminded the faithful that same-day services would be, unfortunately, held without the presence of worshippers. Police units, in fact, were deployed around the same-name metropolitan cathedral, as the feast day of St. Barbara is annually celebrated with splendor and reverence in the southwest Athens working-class district.

A partial lockdown in Greece has been extended to Dec. 14, meaning that worshippers will be prevented from attending upcoming services for several upcoming major feast days, including those of St. Savas, St. Nicholas and St. Spyridonas.

In terms of the end-of-month Christmas services, the Greek government has merely noted that while the epidemiological situation has improved after nearly four weeks of a nationwide lockdown, it has not improved at the rate expected.

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