The Epitaphios Procession at Kamini

The Epitaphios Procession at Kamini is an annual Good Friday observance held in the fishing settlement of Kamini on Hydra. The procession carries the Epitaphios — the flower-strewn bier of Christ — down to the shore and into the sea, where the parish prays for those who have died at sea and for the safe return of the island’s sailors. The custom began at Kamini in 1923 among the sponge divers and has been kept every Good Friday since. The 2025 procession took place on 18 April.

Hydra forbids wheeled traffic, and the Good Friday processions move by candlelight through stepped lanes. The island’s several Epitaphioi converge at the Monastery of the Dormition on the harbour. Kamini’s procession begins earlier in the evening than the main town procession, and both may be attended in the same night. Hydra lies approximately one hour from Athens by high-speed ferry.