The Ukrainian Easter day is, actually, a culmination of a long trial of
preparing for this beautiful holiday. The last Sunday before Easter (Palm
Sunday) is called Willow Sunday (Verbna
nedilia). On a week
before the Easter pussy-willow branches are blessed in the church.
The major event of the Ukrainian Ester is the night church service. My
parents usually go to church in the evening to be present during the whole
service – until early morning. At the same time, many prefer to come for the
culmination of the service, in the morning.
People gather in the church for the Easter vigil till the very morning when priests bless the food believers brought. Bread (paskas), eggs, meat and sausages are waiting to get blessed for the Easter dinner. After that people go home to celebrate Easter with their families.
People gather in the church for the Easter vigil till the very morning when priests bless the food believers brought. Bread (paskas), eggs, meat and sausages are waiting to get blessed for the Easter dinner. After that people go home to celebrate Easter with their families.
When parents come home from church we put all blessed food on the
holiday table, pray and start to taste the food with the words: "Christ is risen!"
– "Risen
indeed".
The specially-baked Easter bread, called paska, hasgreat symbolic significance in Ukraine. My mother bakes the
tastiest paska I`ve ever ate.
Ukrainians have a bright and beautiful tradition of painting eggs for
Easter. While some people simply paint them one color, others prepare
masterpieces: traditional patterns, ornaments, and pictures painted on boiled
eggs. Such decorated eggs are called “krashanky” (painted one color) or
“pysanky” (colorful eggs with patterns and pictures). Eggs are also
traditionally painted on Friday before Easter. In our family we mostly just
paint them one color.
After festive breakfast me, my husband and our daughter go to visit my
husband`s granny.
