Orthodox Christians call Easter "a holiday of holidays and a celebration of celebrations." On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ. This holiday symbolizes the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, keeps in itself the historical memory of the voluntary atoning sacrifice in the name of humanity of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection.
Christian Easter is celebrated not according to the solar, but according to the lunar calendar and therefore does not have a constant date.
How did the Resurrection of Christ from the dead come about? One of the testimonies of this greatest miracle belongs to the historian Hermidius, the official historiographer of Judea. On Sunday night, Hermidius personally went to the coffin to make sure that the deceased could not be resurrected. In the faint light of dawn, he saw the guards at the door of the coffin. Suddenly it became very light and a man appeared above the ground, as if woven from light. There was a thunderclap, but not in heaven, but on earth. The frightened guards jumped up and immediately fell to the ground. The stone blocking the entrance to the cave rolled back. Soon the light above the coffin disappeared. But when Hermidius approached the coffin, the body of the Buried was not there. The doctor did not believe that the deceased could be resurrected, but Christ, according to his recollections, "was really resurrected, and we all saw it with our own eyes."
Easter traditions
Easter is preceded by a strict seven-week Lent, when believers abstain from certain types of food. The week before Easter is called Holy Week. Each day of the week is associated with the events of the last days from the earthly life of Christ.
On the day before Easter - Holy Saturday - old and young believers gather in churches for prayer. Special Easter food is brought to the temple to consecrate it. On the day of the Resurrection of Christ, special dishes are put on the table, which are prepared only once a year - Easter cake, Easter cottage cheese, Easter painted eggs. Midnight comes, a procession begins in the churches. Great Saturday is replaced by Bright Sunday.
But Easter is not only about prayer. This holiday has always had another side - the worldly. While the Easter service was going on, no one dared to indulge in festive entertainment. But when the "icons passed", the Easter festivities began.
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What kind of entertainment is accepted for Easter? First, the feast. After a seven-week fast, you could again afford any food - whatever your heart desires. In addition to Easter dishes, there are many traditional delicacies of Russian cuisine on the table. All kinds of games with Easter eggs, round dances, swinging were arranged (and are still being arranged).
It was customary to christen on Easter. Everyone exchanged colored eggs and kissed each other three times. To christen - to congratulate each other on the holiday, while colored eggs are a symbol of life.
Long before the appearance of Christ, the ancient peoples considered the egg a prototype of the Universe - from it the world around man was born. Among the Slavic peoples who adopted Christianity, the egg was associated with the fertility of the earth, with the spring rebirth of nature. It is a symbol of the Sun and Life. And to show respect for him, our ancestors painted eggs.
Festive Easter signs
The Orthodox believed that miracles could be seen on Easter. At this time, it is allowed to ask God to fulfill your desires.
Since pagan times, the custom has remained to pour water on Easter with well or river water.
On Easter, old people combed their hair with the wish that they had as many grandchildren as there were hairs on their heads; old women washed themselves with gold, silver and a red testicle in the hope of getting rich.
On Easter, young people climbed onto the roofs to meet the sun (it was believed that on Easter “the sun is playing”, and many tried to watch for this moment).
EASTER TREATMENTS
Boiled easter
Ingredients
➢ 2 kg of cottage cheese, ➢ 1.5 kg sour cream, ➢ 1.5 kg of butter, ➢ 12 eggs (yolks), ➢ 1.5 kg of sugar, vanillin.
Preparation
Easter is cooked from Thursday (best) or Friday.
Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve. You should not pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder, otherwise it will become denser, but it is necessary to be saturated with oxygen. Grind sour cream, butter, raw yolks with half a glass of sugar. Mix everything together in a saucepan, put on fire and stir.
When the mass is melted, add the rest of the sugar, stirring occasionally, heat, but do not bring to a boil.
Add vanillin on the tip of a knife, mix and cool. Put the mass in a gauze bag and hang to glass the liquid. Leave for 10-12 hours. After that, transfer the mass to the pasochny and press down with a press.
Easter walnut
Ingredients:
➢ 1.2 kg of cottage cheese, ➢ 1 glass of sugar, ➢ 4 eggs, ➢ 200 g butter, ➢ 200 g of pistachios or peanuts,
➢ 4 cups heavy cream, vanilla sugar.
Preparation
Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, add sugar and vanillin, stir well. Add eggs, butter, chopped nuts. Mix everything thoroughly and pour cream into the curd. Stir the mass again, put it in a mold covered with wet gauze, install a press on top.
Put in a cold place for a day.
