And that sums up my first Ukrainian Easter. The Orthodox Christian church is very big here, and as my counterpart and her family are members and regularly attend church, I’ve been able to jump in on this important part of the culture. Easter is the largest and most important church holiday to Ukrainians and, accordingly, they pull out all the stops. Starting with the church service.
I went over to my counterpart’s around 4:30 on Saturday to help with dinner preparations. I was still thinly slicing chicken gizzards, onions, grating eggs, and chopping onions by 6:30. We ate a simple supper of potatoes and bread and then “rested.” About 10:30 (PM of course) we piled into the car and drove off to church, looking our finest.
The extravagant finery of the décor in Orthodox churches is something I have definitely become accustomed to. Everything is painted in elaborate and realistic detail...I sometimes get the feeling that someone decided that the gilt look was the most happenin' for Jesus. People light candles which gives the whole ceremony a supernatural glow and is very pretty. They are beeswax candles, so they're also pleasantly fragranced.
Ukrainians have Easter baskets, too, but these aren't for Peter Cotton Tail. Instead of chocolates, candies and fake plastic grass, they fill theirs with all the things they couldn't eat during their pre-Easter fast, like cheese, meats, eggs and butter. Easter bread is very popular here, and is also in the baskets though they can eat bread during the fast. The front of the church began to fill up with these baskets as people arrived, kissing icons, crossing themselves almost constantly and bowing accordingly.
We started up with the singing, chanting and liturgy shortly after 11:00. Just before midnight, we all filed outside and the bells began ringing wildly, to which the people responded with "Kristos Vaskressya!" "Christ is risen!" We all walked around the church following the priest and the altarboy carrying the heavy crucifix. Then, back inside!
The next few hours are really more of a haze for me, but a beautiful one. Perhaps I might even call it dreamy. Incense added its perfume to the candles', the choir sang an almost constant litany of songs both joyful and melancholy. I had to pay attention to hear the "Kristos Vaskressya" to be on top of the response, "Vellissmoo Vaskressya." I may have missed one or two of those.
Just before 4:00, we filed outside again, but this time with our Easter baskets in hand. Pretty much every person in the whole town brought their baskets, though not all attended the service. They were placed all over the grounds, and soon the priest walked around with a rather decent showing of a horse's-tail-like brush, which he dipped into holy water and flung at people. He seemed to enjoy getting people as wet as he could, and was laughing as he carried on. This was also the time when he blessed the baskets and the food they contained (which wasn't necessarily only food...I saw a basket with beer and salty dried fish!).
My two favorite parts of the service involved going outside. The first favorite was when we returned to the sanctuary after midnight. Everyone was SO happy...it's really hard to describe. See, usually Ukrainians have quite the "game" face. They don't smile as readily as Americans, either for photos or in real life. So to see an entire church filled with smiling, happy, hugging and kissing Ukrainians was truly wonderful for me. The other favorite was my babushka's face when she felt the sprinkle of the holy water. She's so short that she couldn't see when the priest was coming, so she grabbed my arm and told me to tell her when he would be coming by. As soon as she felt those first drops of water, she turned her face up and such peace and contentment washed over it; the years and hard work melted away and she was a child, standing in the presence of her father. It was beautiful.
After church, we returned home to feast on a post-fast meal. It wasn't nearly as major as the next day, however, at which we had over 15 dishes. Really, I counted. And then I also understood the need for all the chopped gizzards and mayonnaise. It was a great meal, though we were working from 10-2 on the finishing preparations. I was so glad to feel so incorporated into the family, though, and was glad to be bossed around. Even if the holadetz (meat jelly) or salo (basically pig fat) threatened to ruin my gastronmic capacity. Besides, there is this sweet, baked cheese souffle/casserole that is AMAZING to restore any stomach upset I might encounter. I probably ate half my body weight in that stuff. YUM!
So my first Ukrainian Easter settled to a close as most evenings here. I was happy and home. And I am happy and home.
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