Easter is a great religious celebration all over the Christian world
because it commemorates the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus.
Historians say that in ancient times there were a pagan rituals which
celebrate the coming of spring (the Vernal Equinox). For example the
Druids welcomed spring making bonfires in May. Also the ancient Saxons
used to worship their Goddess called Eastre in the early spring because
she was a symbol of nature re-birth. In fact, her name (Eastre or Eostre)
was the basis for the modern English word "Easter".
Christian missionaries had the idea to convert those pagan feasts
into one Christian holiday which is now even more important than
Christmas.
Before 325 A.D. Easter was celebrated in any day of the week. But
in this particular year, the Emperor Constantine established the
Easter rule: it will be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs
after the first ecclesiastical full moon (which differs from the full
moon we see on the sky) after the Vernal Equinox - March
21st. Also Easter must be preceded by a 46 days of Lenten
which is considered absolutely necessary for a proper spiritual
preparation to welcome such a great miracle. Nowadays the customs
differ from country to country but all of them bring in our memory
Christ Resurrection!
In the Eastern Europe this celebration is an opportunity for keeping
alive many beautiful customs. In the countries where the Orthodox
Church is predominant as Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine there are
specific old traditions that cannot be found elsewhere. Everywhere
this moment is special because people feel again in their hearts the
miracle of Resurrection and remember their dead relatives. In many
regions they go to the cemeteries and make charity donations to the
beggars or poor ones.
In Romania we call this religious holiday Paste.
Before it, there are seven weeks of Lenten when any Orthodox Christian
is not allowed to eat meat, cheese, milk, eggs or a combination of these.
People use to pray for their dead relatives all Saturdays before the
holy night by going to the church with special food and cakes. Also,
in this period of time there are forbidden merry customs as weddings or
baptism feasts. At the countryside, the housewife cleans everything in
her house or in her garden, is washing the curtains and carpets, is
weaving fabrics for new clothes and buys all necessary things for the
special dishes she will cook two or three days before the holy
night of Resurrection. We add two pictures of peasant houses found in
Bucharest at the Village Museum.
The Palm Sunday is called in Romania "Florii" (the Flowers Day).
It is a very special day which remembers us how Jesus was welcomed
at his entrance in Jerusalem. People go to the church having fresh
branches of willow and after the ceremony of blessing, they bring them
home. In many Romanian villages these willow branches are kept near the
Orthodox icons till the next Palm Sunday because it is an ancient belief
saying that they have a magical power to protect the house from the bad
events or bad spirits. Also in this Sunday all people having flower
names as Florin, Florica, Crina, Margareta, Lacramioara, Viorica,
Narcisa are celebrated by their families and friends.
The history of the Easter eggs is wonderful. In ancient Egypt, Persia,
Phoenicia and India an enormous egg was considered to
bring life to Earth. Over 500 years ago it was written a book which
mentioned the different Easter eggs by their local names. Even a
Christian tribe from North Africa used to color eggs on the occasion of
Easter. In Romania, the decoration of eggs was a lovely habit since
the old times. The first documentary mention was made by an Italian
named Del Chiaro who described the life of the Princely Court in Bucharest
during the reign of Constantin Brancoveanu (1689-1714). Also it was
another Moldavian note about the habit of painting eggs written in Iasi
by the Chancellor Gheorghe (1762).
Since the ancient times, in the last Thursday before Easter women use
to cook Pasca and Cozonac (these
sweet breads are specific to Romania and symbolize the face and body
of Christ). Also they prepare lamb roast and many other dishes made
only once a year : on the occasion of Easter. In the next day (Friday)
women living in the villages of Bukovina and Moldavia wake up early
in the morning and perfume with incense their houses by surrounding it
for three times with burning incense. This is an old superstition
saying that only in this way little bugs or other insects will not
enter in it! After that women start the preparation for coloring
the eggs.
Tourists are amazed by the brightness of colors, by the patterns and
the harmony of nuances used to paint eggs. Hundreds of years ago there
were used natural colors but today they use chemical pigments bought
from the store. The colors can be yellow, red, green and blue.
Specialists made researches and found four major types of Easter
eggs : monochromic eggs, monochromic eggs with decorations, polychrome
eggs and eggs with special ornaments (as small colored glass millets
stuck on their surfaces - this type is made only at the Sucevita
Monastery in Moldavia). The patterns are very different: animals,
plants, branches, geometric motifs, cross, domestic tools, sun, stars
and even angels. Little by little an old technique was developed so
nowadays these small creations are considered valuable pieces of art.
In many private collections or museums you may find them.
The Romanian Orthodox Easter begins with the holy night and it lasts
for the next three days : Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. It is said that
the gates of heaven will open exactly on the night of Resurrection and
they will remain open for the next seven days. Anyone who dies in this
period of time will enter in heaven despite his humanly sins. In many
villages and small towns there is an old tradition in this particular
night. The whole family goes to the church together, the head of the
family carrying a basket full of colored eggs, pasca, cozonac,
fresh cheese, dry basil, incense, a bottle of wine and candles.
After the religious ceremony, when the bells are singing with
joy the Resurrection, the priest come out of the church and bless the
community and their baskets saying all the time
"Christ has risen" and everyone respond as a single
voice : "He has truly risen". The candles are burning, the air
is full of magic and it is a general happiness everywhere.
In many Romanian families, the first lunch is taken right after coming
back from church, early in the morning. They still wear their best
clothes and have the candles burning. In many others, Sunday morning
starts by washing their faces and hands with fresh water in which they
add a colored egg (usually red) and a silver coin. In this way people
believe that the next year they will be healthy and rich. It is pity
that this custom is almost forgotten by modern young people.
Anyway, the breakfast is made always from colored eggs, pasca and
cozonac. The clinking of colored eggs is a beautiful tradition all
over the country. In many regions, in the first day family members or
friends must clink eggs "top to top", in the second day
"top to bottom" and in the third day
"bottom to bottom". Always the oldest man (woman) in the
group will begin the ceremony by choosing a partner. The person who is
in action must say "Christ has risen" and the one who is
waiting with the egg in his hand must reply immediately
"He truly has risen". Those who didn't meet and clink colored
eggs on the occasion of Easter will not be together after their death.
So Monday and Tuesday children and young families use to visit their
parents, elder brothers, grandparents, godparents and older relatives
or friends. In every house they enter, on the table they will find a
big plate having pasca, cozonac and colored eggs in the middle. The
guests will be invited to take a sit and taste a piece of everything.
It must be a wonderful merry holiday for anyone!
It is lovely to visit Romania during the Easter holiday. You may find
friendly faces in any place, you may taste the Romanian special food
which is made especially for this celebration and you may buy
traditional eggs from folk artisans. To make your plans in advance,
here is a list containing the Orthodox Easter dates.
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1 May 2005
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12 April 2015
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20 April 2025
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29 April 2035
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23 April 2006
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1 May 2016
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12 April 2026
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20 April 2036
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8 April 2007
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16 April 2017
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2 May 2027
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5 April 2037
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27 April 2008
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8 April 2018
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16 April 2028
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25 April 2038
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19 April 2009
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28 April 2019
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8 April 2029
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17 April 2039
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4 April 2010
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19 April 2020
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28 April 2030
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6 May 2040
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24 April 2011
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2 May 2021
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13 April 2031
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21 April 2041
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15 April 2012
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24 April 2022
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2 May 2032
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13 April 2042
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5 May 2013
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16 April 2023
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24 April 2033
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3 May 2043
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20 April 2014
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5 May 2024
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9 April 2034
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24 April 2044
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We thank Camelia Cristofor (Iasi, Romania) for these beautiful
pictures sent especially for creating Easter page.
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