Sunday, April 15, 2012

Easter: Round 2

As many of you know, Orthodox Easter is one week later. This, of course, means that we get TWO Easters! Easter is a huge celebration here, with all schools & businesses closing for a four-day holiday weekend. It is anticipated and celebrated more than Christmas.

There are many traditions that we have learned about over the past several days, including going to church on the Eve of Easter at midnight to ring in that Christ has risen, eating lamb along with liver soup, fun one-on-one games to see whose hard boiled egg breaks first followed by eating that egg and throwing the shells into rivers or lakes, and, of course, plenty of baklava along with many other traditions!

The pictures below all showcase the red eggs that have come to symbolize Macedonian Orthodox Easter. They die many eggs (all red) and give them to visitors that come on Easter and the two days following (making for a three-day holiday). It is also tradition to take one egg for everyone in your family, along with one representing the home, to church. The eggs must remain at the church overnight and then they are taken back home, where each family member consumes his/her egg. The shells are all thrown in a body of water. The egg for the home is then put up in the house, where it will remain until the following Easter (when it is thrown in the body of water, with that year's shells).







We are so thankful that we were able to share and learn more about so many traditions over the last few days.

1 comment:

  1. Dear Shelley and Cody,
    So happy that you're learning so much about other faiths and traditions! Pascha is such a large part of Jeremiah's and Margaret's love for the Orthodox Church! Maybe you'll be willing to go to church with Molly and I when we visit the monastery next time...? Love and miss you both so much! Happy Easter!!! :)

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