As many as 83.2 per cent of the population in Greece believe Easter is extremely important for keeping the country’s national identity, a recent survey has revealed.

The poll by Kapa Research, which questioned 2089 people, found that 29.7 per cent of people attend mass during Holy Week and 38 per cent attend on the Saturday after Good Friday.

Interestingly many more respondents said that they took part in traditional Easter fasting. Around 17.6 per cent of people said they fasted between Orthodox Halloween and Easter, whilst just under half said they fasted throughout Holy Week.

Just under a quarter said they did not fast at all while only 8.3 per cent said they fast only on Good Friday.

The research also suggested that the financial crisis was affecting the way Greeks celebrate Easter. Over half of respondents said they would spend less than usual for entertainment and presents this year, whilst 37.9 per cent said they would spend around the same. Just over five per cent said they would be more generous this year.

More than half of the people questioned said they would stay at home for the holiday, 35.6 per cent said they would travel to their home villages or cities, whilst less than 10 per cent said they would travel to other places for their holidays.

Yesterday, Orthodox Christians marked Good Friday, the day when Jesus Christ was crucified almost 2,000 years ago. Orthodox believers mark the time of Easter one week later than Protestants and Catholics as they use a different calendar.