Ritual Arrhythmia and Religious Dissonance: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Greek and Cypriot Orthodoxies

This article analyzes the discussion and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic within the Orthodox Churches of Greece and Cyprus. First, we investigate the attitudes, responses, and reactions of these churches towards the various facets of the pandemic. Second, our research also covers the area of “lived religion” by exploring the religious practices of active believers and their responses to the transformations and innovations in their religious habits and towards official church policies. Using Lefebvre’s “rhythmanalysis,” we concentrate on the phenomenon of “ritual arrhythmia” that resulted not only in the disruption of ritual life, but also in ritual transformation and innovation. By combining these two different strands of research, we aim to provide a more holistic picture of what “pandemic Orthodoxy” looked like in our specific contexts.