On the morning of December 6th, I was walking back home from work when my mother sent me a youtube video with two songs celebrating the name’s day of Saint Nicholas. You see, we as Orthodox Christians get quite a few more holidays/feast days than your average Christian. These include but are not limited to Christmas, Pascha (Easter), Saint Nicholas Day, The Dormition, The Annunciation, and Bright Week. So this means, while we do fast more, we also feast more, so it all balances out.
(actually my church!!)
I’m what is known as Cradle Orthodox, which means I was born into an Orthodox family and baptized as an infant, and when I was a kid, I didn’t get it. Where converts may already have a sense of maturity when coming into the religion and choosing it for themselves, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t sleep over at friends’ houses on Saturdays, or if I did, why I had to get up at 7 to leave and go to church, just to stand there for almost 2 hours doing nothing. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t eat a big breakfast on Sunday mornings like everyone else but instead had to settle for water (but only in the summer). I especially didn’t understand why on Christmas, a national holiday, I had to get my booty out of my cozy pajamas and into a dress because “of course we’re going to church today, Christmas is ABOUT Jesus!”
Pascha was a whole other service to tackle. In the Orthodox church, we like to celebrate the Resurrection as soon as possible, so we show up at the church around 11:30 pm and the service lasts until about 2 am. It was acceptable for me to sleep a little bit until I was about adult size and then it was a little weird. My little brother started serving behind the altar when he was about 7, and if he could last the whole service, then I definitely had too. Since this all happens after Lent in which we fast from meat, dairy, alcohol, and other pleasures, we have a bit of an after-party, which was my favorite part (even before I actually started fasting). Everyone brings baskets of meat and cheese and butter and wine and Pascha Bread (which is truly the best thing I’ve ever eaten), and it’s better than I could ever describe. The hardest part of college was not being able to be at my own church for this service. But, you can read about my experience with that here.
(isn’t the butter lamb so cute?)
Growing up, I did it all with only mild complaining, and I discovered that if I get my mom talking on an interesting subject on the car ride there, I could put off morning prayers for a little bit, or least the until the conversation inevitably circled back around to God. These pre-church talks made me a Sunday school prodigy. I was the girl you wanted on your Bible trivia team.
To my mother’s delight, I no longer simply tolerate church, I was actually upset that I couldn’t go to more church when I home for only one Sunday over Thanksgiving break. I’m not saying I’m a perfect Orthodox Christian now, but I am certainly trying harder, and I now I feel like I have finally made the decision for myself to follow this religion.