April 24, 2020

90-Year-Old Woman from Kalymnos Chants "Anastaseos Imera" ("It is the Day of Resurrection")


Katerina Makarouna, the "Nightingale of Palionisos" as she is known, is a 90-year-old widow from Kalymnos, who has 6 children, 23 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, and lives in Palionisos, the most remote village of the island with only six inhabitants for the past 67 years (they only received electricity 6 or 7 years ago and a paved road in 2006). Below she chants with a sweet and melodic voice the Paschal Doxastikon hymn "It is the Day of Resurrection" from within the Chapel of Saint Peter, which she visits once or twice a week.

The chanting of the hymn alone can be seen in the first video, but the longer report (which I recommend) is in the second video, where Katerina is featured at the 5 minute mark, as well as other villagers from the area discussing how they are dealing with the coronavirus crisis during the paschal holidays (it should be noted that no one in this village ever gets sick). Below that is a video with an interview with Katerina, followed by an interview with her son who also lives in the village.