www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Easter Customs - how do we link the secular to the religious

This really does interest me

I'm thinking of easter Bunnies , eggs etc

Just look at all this

Bunnies et al [godiva.com]

Now how can we actually put it all together - there is certainly a big division here - but at the same time it does link - in a sort of chocolatey way

Any takers ?

I think that we do it the same way that we do it at Christmas....

In the U.S., atleast two generations of cradle Greek Orthodox have been linking the two:

This is the usual practice of those with young children:

Before Holy Week, sometimes the very young children take a photo with the Easter Bunny at a local shopping mall.

At Holy Week, we observe the evening services and we fast. On Holy Thursday we boil and dye the Easter eggs, and although the Greek Orthodox tradition is to die them red, we American born also buy the pretty pastel colors too so that we have lots of Easter eggs in red and other colors to eat during Bright Week.

On Saturday evening, we all go (even young children) to the Service of the Resurrection. Sometimes, in the more ethnically Greek families, a grandmother or mother may stay home to prepare the traditional breaking of the fast soup which is eaten after Church. The parishes in my area have made it easy for everyone to attend in that they now host the meal at 2 A.M. for the breaking of the fast after Divine Liturgy. After Divine Liturgy, every parishioner is handed out a red Easter egg wrapped in tulle and a ribbon. The traditional meal offered for us there for us at the Church Hall is the 'mayiritsa' soup, sweet Easter bread called 'tsoureki', Easter eggs, and plates of feta cheese and olives. Our priests usually go the extra male mile and send an older altar boy out to get them a hamburger! LOL!

If the children are very young, many parishioners might leave after the 'Come receive the Light' and before the Divine Liturgy to get them to bed. No matter the time one leaves, the holy light candle is brought home (I can just imagine what people think seeing cars driving after midnight with candles in them! )... and the sign of the cross is made with the fire over the door mantles.

On Easter Sunday, the kiddies wake up to either find their baskets full of yummy chocolates (yes, and peeps too!) left to them by the Easter Bunny, and/or they have an Easter egg hunt. The kiddies dress up in their Easter finery and some of our parishes will have a service (it is called 'Vespers of the Agape'--it is not a DL, as the DL for the day was already done) which families will take the children to, if they were not able to stay up for the Resurrection service.
Some parishes hand out chocolate Easter bunnies to the children after the service.

Then we eat, and eat, and eat (feasting being a BIG secular custom associated with Pascha day!)... Then we adults eat the chocolates sent by Mr. Easter Bunny that the kiddies haven't already eaten in the morning!!!

Now that my children are young adults, unfortunately, I have no rationale to buy chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs anymore.
So gone are those particular secular customs for the time being....

Alice

Gracious

Once more - it's not like that over here - Can't actually answer for the Eastern Churches of course .

Do you have the custom of rolling hard boiled eggs ?

I think that I have heard of that in the larger Easter egg hunts.

Hmm - don't think that's done as much as it used to be

The kiddies are supposed to get their eggs on easter Sunday - but in fact they are in the shops straight after Christmas - so what chance do you have to get them to keep them

I have decided to forego the secular part next year. Instead we will truly celebrate the fast as a time for fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. I love the fast and the challenges it presents for me. I plan that next year we will fast from meat, as always, but add another item each week for the rest of the fast. By Holy week we should be at no TV or music, no sweets, lots of prayer. That way the easter basket goodies will truly be anticipated and savored. We will decorate eggs and do pysanky, still will have the feast for dinner on Easter, still have candy in our baskets.

oops

Just think how much fun it would be to commercialize Pentecost! Imagine - chocolate Doves, Men in the street dressed up like Chronos raising money for what one trustingly hopes are worthy causes . . . the possibilities are endless.

Incognitus

Yes, getting your picture taken with the "Ghost"... Or the "Great Dove"?

oops I'm pleading awful ignorance here - I do have an excuse since I have been working hard for the last very near 2 hours and I'm beginning to have brain blanks

Who was Chronos - the bells are ringing - but not sort of connecting at the moment

Chocolate Doves - and they wouldn't necessarily have to be made of dark Chocolate either - but I do love it so

hmm - I'm tempted - very tempted


Let's start a new tradition

When I was growing up, my Russian grandmother used to make Paska and Kulich and we would have the red-dyed boiled eggs. And we had two Easters, one on the Julian and one on the Gregorian date. Now for a variety of reasons, my Grandother goes to a Greek Orthodox church where Easter coincides with the Gregorian date, and as we now have one Easter the celebration has lost much of its character. We have an advantage over the Gregorian claendar Christains; we can actually more easily separate our CHristian tradition from the secualr junk that surrounds the Gregorian date. I guess that's my take on it, we don't try and link two very different types of fish in kettles.

N

One thing I may miss is pysanky. Granted I could be doing it at home, nothing beats meeting with a group of people and working together, giving hints on how to dye it correctly and have more experienced artisians help you tweak your methods. Maybe next year I'll ask if I can hold a class at my new parish, just an informal thing, a good way to fellowship during the Great Fast.

Yes I agree with Ned. I also like the old Calendar feast being free of the commercial stuff. I certainly would not be keen to take any children to see the Easter Bunny in a shopping mall. I like the concept to be sort of vague and mysterious with children, so bringing the child face to face with the bunny would spoil it for me as well (the inner child and all that). One of the advantages of living in multicultural societies is that you can mix some of the festal extras like foods and customs observed at home. I recall some of the dishes the Russians from China would bring on feast days to Kew (Aust.)and they clearly showed a people who had been through China on the way to Australia.

ICXC
NIKA

Chronos is a mythological personification of time - rather like the English expression "Father Time". Chronos appears in some versions of the icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

Incognitus

Dear Father Incognitus,

Perhaps the Dove Chocolate Company chose its name as a way to commercialize Pentecost.

http://www.dovechocolate.com/

Perhaps they figured since the Feast is called Pente-COST, people should spend lots of money on Dove Chocolate.

Dear IncogNeat3,

Well-delicious DOVE chocolates were started by a Greek Orthodox man, so who knows....maybe you are correct!.


Speaking of DOVE, I just went to CVS to pick up a prescription, and I saw that DOVE makes chocolate bunnies--just a heads up for all those inclined to buy Easter chocolates. Dove is supposed to be excellent chocolate.

Do you know what the only good thing is about celebrating Easter on the Old Calendar, when all your fellow citizens are celebrating it before you?


It is that if you run to the supermarkets and drug stores EARLY Monday morning after Western Easter, you can get all the Easter treats for your children at half price!

Alice

P.S.(You do realize that both you--since you have not offered any other name--and Incognitus are in cyberspace incognito company, don't you? :p )

what became of the "byzantine village" thread...?? did I miss something??? NEVERTHELESS/// I have to add that UMKA.COM has much present day material on DVD from the old countries, esp Ukraina, but I have a video "Shadows of ancient ancestors" which was made in '64 and shows trembita players, a wedding a funeral, etc of Hutsul custom, but European dvd format, lucky my son just installed a new video card that plays the thing...its good for the historic value, even if I don't know the Ukie...! mik S Bohom

Umm - it's still here - though no-one has posted for a few days Byzantine Village thread

Here's a good way to share the Resurrection message, the Bible, and something yummy -- a great visual for preschoolers and elementary school kids:

RESURRECTION COOKIES

To be made the evening before Easter. You need:

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. Vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
wax paper covered cookie sheet
tape
Bible


Preheat oven to 300.

Place pecans in zipper baggie an let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-13

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. Vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child�s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus� followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that color white represents the purity in God'� eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:13.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus� body was laid.
Read Matthew 27: 57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus� tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus� followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20 and 22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus� followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matthew 28:1-9

HE HAS RISEN!

Here's one more, appropriate any time, not just Easter.

SCRIPTURE CAKE
(makes 2 cakes)

Scripture cake, was a specialty of early New England settlers who apparently never strayed from the Puritan ethic. Each ingredient in the cake has a biblical reference and tradition holds that the children in a family would recite the appropriate Bible verse as the cake was being prepared.

Richard Ferrugio of �The Food Gallery, Inc�, a New York caterer, specializes in historical recipes and he adapted this one to modern measurements from an old New England recipe. This version is a comforting and spicy fruit-and-nut pound cake. The recipe makes two loaf cakes which slice and keep well, and are even better after they have mellowed for a day. Plain slices are good with coffee or they can be enriched by spreading with cream cheese. Scripture cake is easy to make, too � after you�ve learned the 10 Bible verses, the rest is a piece of cake.

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
Judges 5:25 �He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.�
2 cups sugar
Jeremmiah 6:20 �To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country?�
6 eggs
Isaiah 10:14 �And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth or peeped.�
1 tab. Honey
Exodus 16:31 �And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white: and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.�
3 � cups all-purpose flour
1 Kings 4:22 �And Solomon�s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour and threescore measures of meal.�
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
� tsp ground cloves
� tsp ground allspice
1 Kings 10:2 �And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bear spices, and very much gold, and precious stones.�
� tsp salt
Leviticus 2:13 �And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt.�
4 tsp baking powder
2 cups chopped figs
2 cups raisins
1 Samuel 30:12 �And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins.�
1 cup chopped almonds, blanched or unblanched
Numbers 17:8 �And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.�
1 cup water
Genesis 24:20 �And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until well blended.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the honey.

In another bowl, combine 3 � cups of the flour with the spices and baking powder and sift together.

Toss the figs, raisins, and almonds with the remaining � cup of flour.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two stages alternately with the water. Stir in the floured nuts and fruit and mix until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between 2 greased and floured 9x5x3� loaf pans. Level the top of the batter.

Bake on the middle level of a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans set on racks for 10 minutes.

Turn the cakes out on racks and cool completely. Wrap well in plastic to store at room temperature. The cakes freeze well.

Mrs H

I love the thought of the Resurrection Cookies

Roughly how many does it make ?

If I remember correctly about 24-30. The kids love making these!

Dear Incognitus,

However, "Chronos" is not what, iconographically, is actually depicted on icons of Pentecost, as you know.

It is, in fact, the Prophet Micah with a scroll, ideally, where his prophecy about "young men shall see visions etc." is recorded.

Alex