Orthodox Easter is tomorrow! Христос Воскресе!

Easter (russ.: Пасха [Paskha]), the major religious celebration of the year in Russia, is tomorrow.

Though I am currently away from Russia, I still will join in celebrating :)

Recently many people have asked me why in Russia Easter is usually celebrated later than in the West. So answering the question, this happens because Easter dates are determined by different calendars. The Russian-Orthodox church uses the old Julian calendar, whereas the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches switched to the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century.

Easter service is also held in a different way. People go to church around midnight on Saturday night to attend the service. At midnight ringing church bells announce the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Priests come to the altar holding a crucifix and candles. Solemnly singing, they walk through the church and then around it. Everyone lights the candles and follow the procession. Churches and cathedrals are full of singing voices and candle lights. The Orthodox liturgical chant substitutes a Catholic organ and creates a very special atmosphere. The Mass goes on till dawn.

Today, the president and other politicians also attend the Easter Mass.

As there are no bench rows in orthodox churches, some people find it difficult to stand the whole mass that goes on for hours. But the impressive ceremony is worth every effort. The Easter service ends early in the morning when the priests go around the crucifix. Numerous church bells start ringing, the singing gets louder, and finally the priests tell everybody to forgive each other and seal it with a hug and a kiss. Everyone happily follows this appeal.

The traditional Easter greeting can be heard everywhere: "Christ is risen!" (russ.: Христос воскрес! - Khristos Voskrese!) and the answer "He is truly risen!" (russ.: Воистину воскрес! - Voistinu Voskrese!).

The holy week is pretty much busy in most Russian homes. Once a spring cleaning is done, it’s time for baking Easter bread. The eggs are painted on Holy ("Clean") Thursday and fresh Easter cakes (Paskha) are prepared on Saturday. It’s a tough time as Saturday is the strictest fasting day when orthodox Christians are almost not allowed to eat. Tasting food while cooking is also forbidden. But everyone is looking forward to the feast, and the cooks do their best. It is a tradition to bless Easter eggs and bread in the church. Fasting ends after the Easter Mass and feasting begins.

The Easter Day starts with a long family breakfast. The table is decorated with fresh flowers, pussy-willow branches and, of course, painted eggs. Besides Easter bread and Paskha that are only eaten on Easter, there is lots of other food on the table like sausages, bacon, cheese, milk, etc. – so basically everything that was prohibited during the Forty Day Fast. However, the feast starts with a piece of aromatic Easter bread. Sharing food on Easter has been a long tradition in Russia. That is why after breakfast people visit their friends and neighbours exchanging eggs and small Easter breads. If the first egg you get on Easter is a truly gift given from the heart, it will never go bad, says an old Russian wisdom.

Usually the first thing you do after getting up in the morning and coming down for breakfast is playing a popular Easter game. The aim of the game is to break the eggs of other players without damaging your own ones. Experienced players pay special attention to the form of the eggs.

Painted eggs are an international Easter symbol. In Russia Easter eggs are believed to possess magic powers. They are supposed to protect crops against hail damage, keep cattle healthy and ward off evil spirits.

Found interesting to know that at the end of the 19th and the turn of the 20th century, Easter became a magical time for the Russian aristocracy. In 1858 the first Fabergé egg was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III as a surprise for his wife Maria Fyodorovna and it was truly a bejewelled masterpiece.

On the outside it appeared to be a plain white-enamelled egg, but inside was a golden yolk, inside that a golden hen, and inside that was the real "surprise" - a diamond replica of the imperial crown and a ruby pendant.

This surprise turned out to be such a success that every year, Tsar Alexander commissioned a special egg for his wife. When their son, Tsar Nicholas II took to the throne, he continued this tradition.

Strangely enough the weather on the Easter Day is usually very nice and sunny. "The sun plays", say the Russians. It is an old custom to open the cages and let birds go free on Easter.

It's a sunny вфн today in here. I hope it will be tomorrow as well. I plan to travel to London to visit a friend of mine and celebrate Easter with her and her family.

Wish you a nice day tomorrow and Happy Easter to Russians, Romanians, Greek and all others joining us in celebration! Христос Воскресе!