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Easter on Mt. AthosMusic; Ambience: Bells St Andrews, Bells MaradouThis week, Easter is celebrated in the Greek Orthodox church. And the very heart of this tradition is on Mount Athos, in Greece a place where monks have been observing their faith for over a thousand years. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.Father Makarios is the head of a skete a satellite community of one of twenty larger monasteries on Mount Athos. I visited with him during Easter week.Makarios: All this week, Easter week, we feel we have it as one day Easter Day. Any time of this week, you can ring the bells. It's joyful.Sitting on the balcony of the skete on Easter morning, you can hear the bells of a larger monastery in the distance.Makarios: When we celebrate the Holy Liturgy, we do it for the universe. It's not only for Orthodox, not only for Christians, not only for us. It's for the Universe. We pray for the universe to be all united in truth.Only men are allowed to visit and stay at Mt. Athos and currently there are about 2000 monks in residence there. Some live in caves, a few in cottages, but most live communally in monasteries. At Easter time, pilgrims come from all over the world.Makarios: Everybody has his own path. It's personal, but not separated from the others. And this makes us be together. If we try to be close, one to the other, we come closer to god. The whole universe is for everybody.My thanks to Father Makarios. Celebrating Greek Orthodox Easter on Mount Athos, I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.