|
||||||
|
Click for Pysanky Page 1 |
Ukrainian Easter Egg |
CLICK for Pysanky Page2 |
||||
|
Click for Pysanky Page 3 |
Western Easter is on April 4th, 2010 |
CLICK on IMAGES for Larger Views |
||||
|
|
Ukrainian Easter |
|
||||
|
WHY IS ORTHODOX EASTER CELEBRATED |
||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
THE SPRING CYCLE in UKRAINE
The spring cycle begins with the "meeting of winter and
summer" which coincided with the feast of the Purification of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. It is called Stritennia in Ukrainian
(meeting, the meeting of Jesus with Simon and Hannah. This date falls on
February 15th. However, the spring period really begins with the
appearance of the first birds, which return to Ukraine in the beginning
of March around the feast day of the Recovery of the Head of St. John
the Baptist - March 8th. The Annunciation - April 7th begins the
true spring period. From this day spring work begins. Close to the
Day of Annunciation, usually at the end of March on the day of Alexis,
which is called "Warm Alexis" - March 30th, the beekeepers set
out the hives in the orchards. |
||||||
![]() |
The last Sunday before Easter (Palm Sunday) is called Willow Sunday (verba). On this day pussy willows
are blessed and distributed among the
congregation. With these the people tap one another,
repeating the wish: "Be tall as the will, healthy as the
water and rich as the earth" or else say, "The willow
hits, not I; a week from now will be Easter. According to old popular beliefs the week before Willow Sunday (Palm Sunday) "one should not either sow or plant anything which grows in the soil: potatoes, beetroots, carrots, radishes, onions and garlic because all these plants would grow tough as willow. On Passion Friday - Good Friday - no work is done and in particular no wood is chopped; there is no sewing. Until Easter Sunday the ringing of the bells is replaced by the beating of wooden clappers (kalatala) or the striking of a mallet on a board. In some localities, the Holy Shroud (plashchanytsia) is carried solemnly three times around the church. |
|||||
|
UKRAINIAN EASTER is the principal spring festival and a
series of rites have become centered around it. Easter in Ukraine has
preserved traces of pre-Christian rites, which in general show a
similarity to those of Christmas and New Years. These rites are closely
related to agriculture, to the memory of the dead and to the marriage
season during which ritual songs are sung and there is much well
wishing. Prior to Easter is the Lenten period of fasting and abstaining from meat and dairy products. Our relatives in Ukraine prepare Easter baskets just like we do in Alberta, Canada filling them with sausage, garlic, salt, smoked meats, butter, cheese, horseradish, pasky - paska - traditional Easter bread, pysanky and krashanky - hard boiled eggs dyed in one color. All these foods take on a symbolic meaning which reflects the faith of the people. The baskets are covered with beautifully embroidered linens saying Khrystos Voskres meaning Christ has risen, to which the reply is Voiistynu Voskres - He is truly risen. At the conclusion of the service, rows and rows of food-laden baskets with a lighted candle in each are blessed by the priest. In favorable weather the ceremony of blessing the baskets is done outside. In Ukraine young boys light huge bonfires in the churchyard. The most beautiful aspect of the liturgy is the joyful heralding of a risen Christ in singing the traditional Ukrainian hymn "Khrystos Voskres", Christ is risen. The people go very early to church and return about 4 hours later. They break the fast by having an early breakfast with the blessed food and then most of them lie down for a rest or go sleep - at least for awhile. On Easter Sunday relatives invite guests or go visiting. They also visit the cemetery to light candles of the graves of their deceased love ones. Easter Monday or "Sprinkling Monday" or "Dousing Monday" is marked with a quaint custom, the origin of which is obscure - of dousing young maidens with water by the village lads. Our cousins were telling us that they were young they put buy expensive cologne to add to the water when they sprinkled it on girls. They wanted to impress the girls. Then on Tuesday - it's the young maidens turn. They sprinkle the young lads with water. There is much merrymaking and laughter. This old tradition dates back to pagan worship of water as the life-giving element. Khrystos Voskres! |
||||||
|
© 2003 - 2010 Ukrainian - n - Things |
||||||