Culture Versus Political and Ecclesiastic Legislation. A Study on How Eastern Orthodox Easter Customs and Individual Agency Affect People’s Health in Greece

This paper aims to examine the effects of the Orthodox EasterEaster customsCustoms on human healthHealth in a large part of Greece. Data come from the exhaustive research of newspaper archives covering the Civil War period until today. These data are combined with some from the Greek police for the last years of the study. These customsCustoms include the use of flares or other improvised devices using explosives. The goal is to produce as much sparkle and pop as possible. However, their use involves risks to human healthHealth and a range of injuries, from fatal to minor, have been observed. Their use contradicts the state and ecclesiastical legislation; thus, the present study aims to demonstrate how culture and human agencyAgency interact and, ultimately, affect people’s healthHealth and survival.