Easter traditions in my family

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.

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.