Easter is one of the most important holidays of the year for Christians. Growing up Christian Orthodox, there are certain traditions that I know are very important to us during Easter.
Easter lent is the most important fasting of the year. For 40 days before Easter, you cannot eat any animal products but on certain days, such as Palm Sunday, you are allowed to eat fish.
One of the most important Orthodox Easter traditions is to paint red eggs on Holy Thursday, which represent the blood of Jesus Christ and the egg represents his tomb. On Easter Sunday, it is common for people to crack the eggs against each other, symbolizing the breaking of his tomb. It is believed that the last person whose egg did not break will have good fortune.
Another tradition is to eat lamb on Easter. The lamb is known as “Lamb of God” and it’s origins comes from the Jewish Passover, where a lamb was sacrificed. The sacrificed lamb was associated with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and therefore became a traditional food for Orthodox Easter.
Another food that is important on Easter Day is Easter bread. It is a sweet bread that varies a little within countries. For example in Romania, it is called “pasca” and is often made with cheese, and the dough is braided into a cross on top of it.
At midnight on Easter Sunday, people gather outside of their church holding candles. At midnight the priest sings “Christ has Risen”, and after that people return home with their candles still lit to bless their homes and for protection. The origin of this tradition comes from the miracle of the Holy Fire. Every year, on the day before Easter there is a blue light that flows out of Jesus’s grave in Jerusalem, and a fire then appears which is then used to light the candles.
People also say “Christ is risen” as a greeting, to which the others respond “Indeed, he is risen”.
The date for Easter is also different for the Orthodox Church since it follows the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian one. Sometimes, depending on how the calendars work, both Easters may fall on the same day.
Happy Easter! <3
Images obtained from:
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/orthodox-easter-day
https://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/04/26/635972432977355189368200…
https://media.npr.org/assets/artslife/food/2010/03/easterroast_wide-a311…
https://i0.wp.com/www.dulciurifeldefel.ro/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/pas…
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFoeN6HFQho/VuqMzbUvUHI/AAAAAAAAffc/ea0TAYkEB…
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G1o3j5Mh65M/hqdefault.jpg
http://www.dogep.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/afaa371c1f095d55272…
Information obtained from:
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/orthodox-easter-day
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/04/30/the-symbolism-of-cracking-red-eggs-on-easter/