For everything from troubled hearts to lost keys, Greeks bake cakes for a wish-granting saint

ILION, Greece (AP) — For the careless and despairing alike, there’s a special day on the Orthodox Christian calendar to provide relief — with the help of some orange-flavored cake.

Thousands of pilgrims on Wednesday night gathered at the Church of St. Fanourios, 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Athens, with their baked offerings. They were seeking solace for different forms of loss: misplaced keys, an estranged partner, courage still needed to face an ordeal, and more.

Priests blessed the cakes of supplicants, who then shared them with their fellow churchgoers for the feast of St. Fanourios, which culminates on Thursday.

Among those arriving Wednesday was Maria Chanioti, 66. She has attended services dedicated to the patron saint of lost-and-found since her youth.

“People go to him for help with pain in their hearts. But St. Fanourios is generous. He helps people,” Chanioti said in her godparents' kitchen a few blocks from the Church of St. Fanourios, while she beat the cake's ingredients with a whisk.

She prepared her cake as her family always has: with fresh-squeezed orange juice and a pinch of nutmeg, in front of an icon of the saint and a simple vigil candle.

Wishes conveyed to Fanourios go beyond mere custom: Each year’s petition is held in earnest and usually not shared even with loved ones.

Chanioti said her friends in the past have asked for a grandchild or for young relatives to finish school with good grades. Loss is understood broadly, including things lacking from one's life.

“The important things in life are love, understanding, to have optimism and to be free of sadness,” she said. “That’s more important than money.”

Orthodox saints are regarded as spiritual companions – models of bravery and faith who channel prayer and provide protection. Saint Nicholas traditionally watches over sailors and fishermen; worshippers offer prayers to Saint Paraskevi for eye ailments.

Fanourios (pronounced fa‑NOO‑ree‑os) is known as “The Revealer." He is also the patron saint of Rhodes, the Greek island where an icon depicting his suffering as a Christian martyr was discovered more than 500 years ago. Celebrations honoring him are held mostly in Greece and Cyprus.

Every Greek family may have its own recipe for the cake – called Fanouropita – and priests bless all versions. But the Church of St. Fanourios offers some culinary counsel:

1. 4 cups self-rising flour or equivalent.

2. 1 tsp. cinnamon.

3. 1 cup vegetable oil.

4. 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp sugar.

5. 12 tbsp. orange juice

6. 1/2 cup water.

7. Add lemon zest to taste.

8. 1/2 cup golden raisins, plus 1/2 cup black raisins.

9. 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts.

Father Nikolaos Vlavianos greeted parishioners and blessed their cakes at the Church of St. Fanourios on Wednesday night, where thousands gathered around outdoor tables set up for the ceremony and attended a church fair where vendors sold toys, clothes and grilled meat.

Most keep their wishes private, though Father Nikolaos has heard everything from illness and bankruptcy to parking woes and soccer slumps. He says that confronting loss in the church gives worshippers moral clarity and steadfast faith.

“If someone prayed to win the lottery, that would have no spiritual benefit and would not go anywhere,” he said.

“Moments of revelation – everyday ones and extraordinary ones – are often rationalized or dismissed as coincidence. But they still speak to us. The real question is: What experience will we have? How open and receptive are we to living a miracle, to seizing an opportunity to come a little closer to Christ."

Associated Press videojournalist Lefteris Pitarakis contributed to this report.

Pantelis, an altar server, sits at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Father Nikolaos Vlavianos blesses the parishioners' Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, as an icon of Saint Fanourios, known in Greek as "The Revealer," is seen at right at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims eat their Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, after a blessing at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims holding Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, kiss icons at the Church of St. Fanourios as an icon of Saint Fanourios, known in Greek as "The Revealer," is seen at left in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, are placed on tables to be blessed at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Maria Chanioti, 66, prepares Fanouropita, an orange-flavored cake, as a small icon of Saint Fanourios, known in Greek as "The Revealer," is seen in the background in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Maria Chanioti, 66, carries Fanouropita, an orange-flavored cake, to be blessed by a priest at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims wait in line to have their Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, blessed at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims wait in line to have their Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, blessed at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims wait in line to have their Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, blessed at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims wait in line to have their Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, blessed at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Pilgrims wait to have their Fanouropites, orange-flavored cakes, blessed at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Father Nikolaos Vlavianos stands beside an icon of Saint Fanourios, known in Greek as "The Revealer," at the Church of St. Fanourios in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged Thursday with failing to declare his assets, making him the nation's third leader to face criminal charges after leaving office.

Ismail, 66, pleaded not guilty to a charge under the anti-graft law that alleged he failed to provide a complete declaration of assets following a notice from the anti-corruption agency in January 2025. The charge sheet lists large amounts of cash in Malaysian and foreign currencies, as well as gold and silver.

If convicted, Ismail faces up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit ($24,810).

Ismail, the country's ninth leader, unexpectedly became prime minister without a general election after emerging as a consensus figure during a turbulent political period. He was the shortest-serving leader, leading for only 15 months from August 2021 to November 2022.

After leaving office, Ismail has been questioned multiple times by anti-graft officials for possible misconduct involving millions of dollars spent on government publicity during his tenure. The anti-graft agency has also seized gold bars and some $40 million in cash from properties linked to him.

Defense lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad said Ismail has been released on bail. Ismail will seek to clear his name as the charges were “baseless and unfounded,” the lawyer told reporters. The case will next be heard on Sept 29 for prosecutors to provide further details to the defense, he added.

Ismail was initially due to be charged Aug. 7 but it was postponed after he was hospitalized and underwent a pacemaker procedure for a heart condition.

Ismail's indictment followed that of his two predecessors.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak is serving a reduced six-year prison sentence after his conviction in a case tied to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund. He was sentenced last year to a further 15 years’ imprisonment in his second and biggest graft trial linked to 1MDB, and still faces other proceedings.

Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the eight prime minister, is currently on trial over corruption and money-laundering charge.

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, arrives at courthouse for a corruption case in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, left, arrives at courthouse for a corruption case in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, right, arrives at courthouse for a corruption case in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, center, arrives at courthouse for a corruption case in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, center, arrives at courthouse for a corruption case in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)