In Crete during Easter they burn the traitor Judas - 10 photos of the burning of his effigy in Chania

In the town of Souda near the city of Chania, the young people gather every year, to create an effigy of Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus. All their work is going to be destroyed. When the priest says "Jesus is ressurected", they will put fire on the woods they have gathered and what took them weeks to create will be burnt.

This year, their creation was particularly impressive. A tow truck helped them make the gallows. Its height was more than 8 metres. "In the old times, we used to make them even bigger", an older man said to me. "We used to make them twice as high", he said in front of the amazed eyes of his son.

It is an old tradition here in Souda to create spectacular effigies of Judas, as is the easter custom in Greece. It brings together the youth of the town, it connects different generations. They all have a story to say, of the Judas they made when they were young.

And when it all ends and everyone else has left, those young people who spent weeks to create something that its purpose was to be destroyed in a matter of minutes, they don't go back to their homes, they stay there around the fire that slowly fades away.

They cook meat and drink wine, they share their stories with laughter, like warriors who have just won a battle, they celebrate their success and they renew their meeting for the next year, with a promise that the burning of traitor Judas will be even more spectacular.

Though not an official part of the Easter liturgical cycle, the custom is typically a part of the reenactment of the story of the Passion that is practiced by the faithful during Easter. Customs vary, but the effigy of Judas is typically hanged (reenacting Matthew 27:5) on Good Friday, then burned on the night of Easter Sunday.

The burning of Judas was once widely practiced across Europe, and is still practiced in parts of Greece, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela, Cyprus where it is called 'lambratzia', the Philippines, Paraguay where it is called 'Judas kái' and elsewhere.

So, here are 10 photos from this year's celebrations from Souda, Chania.

See also the same post with black and white pictures: https://bit.ly/2Jw1vC3

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

I'll do my best to answer you.