Our Ukrainian Easter Weekend

Ukraine celebrated Easter this past weekend.  We thought you might enjoy a "picture recap" of our weekend and a little history of some traditions that are celebrated by Ukrainians. 

Whitewashing!

About a week or two before Easter, you can see whitewashing crews all around the city.  They whitewash the bottoms of trees and curbs.  They also repaint trash cans, benches, and fences.  We've heard that the whitewashing and painting is a way to make things look new--a cool idea when you think of new life in Christ.  Sadly, many Ukrainians wouldn't think of it that way, but it's certainly a sign to them that Easter is coming.

There are no signs posted regarding the wet whitewash, so you have to be careful where you step!  Luckily, these are not our shoe prints on the curb!  (We've also heard that you should always check a bench before you sit down on it when it is close to Easter.  You may end up with a zebra-striped backside!)

Even the most interesting trees get whitewashed...  And so did a lot of the ground in this case!

Yes, they even whitewash the saplings.  Painting all of the trees in the city must be an easier job than painting over all of the graffiti.  :)

"Paska"--Easter Bread

We bought a traditional Easter bread (called "paska") at the market and had it for dessert on Good Friday.  These can only be found about the week before Easter and are only eaten on Easter weekend.  Traditionally, the paska was prepared at home (not purchased at the market) for the Easter feast.  Your thoughts were to remain pure while the paska was in the oven so it would retain its fluffy texture.  They are typically decorated with bright colors or symbols of spring.  (Actually, after Easter is over, it is nearly impossible to buy sprinkles because they are only in the stores for decorating the paska).  The paska looks better than it tastes...it's pretty dry and the frosting is crusty.  We'll be perfectly fine with waiting until next Easter to try another one!  :)

Orthodox Easter Tradition: Blessing of the Easter Baskets

This is an Orthodox church that is about 20 minutes (walking distance) from our apartment.  We went at 5:00 AM to observe the blessing of Easter baskets.  The church had a sign that said, "Христос Воскрес," which means "Christ is Risen."  You can see the multitude of people who were there early in the morning!  Inside the church, there were people bowing to icons and lighting candles (probably for a deceased relative), but we didn't take pictures inside.

Many Ukrainians prepare Easter baskets with samplings of the foods they will eat at the Easter feast.  Foods such as dairy products and meats are often the main contents of the baskets because Orthodox Ukrainians would not eat these foods during Lent.  The "paska" (Easter bread) is also often included in the basket.  Many baskets are adorned with decorations, often including candles and a pretty cloth to cover the food.  This crowd of people, with their baskets lined along the ground, are waiting for the priest to bless their baskets with holy water.  Once the baskets are blessed, the family can eat the food that will break their Lenten fast.

Our pictures aren't great because we were keeping a respectful distance, but you can see the priest (in the red and gold robe) off to the right of the center of the picture.  As he blessed the baskets, he would yell out, "Христос Воскрес!"  (Although Ukrainians know the story of the death and resurrection, it doesn't really mean anything to them personally.  Greeting others with the phrase "Christ Has Risen" is generally just a traditional greeting used on Easter Sunday).  You can also see the candles glowing inside the baskets.  (We are not exactly sure the significance of having a candle in your basket, but it looks cool!)

This family was on their way home at the same time we were.  In the distance, you can see a lot more people headed to the church.  There is no set time to have your basket blessed--it is a "come and go" as you please process, although we heard that the more devout Orthodox followers go early in the morning.

We saw a lot of children (many even younger than this boy) who were carrying a tiny basket in addition to their family's large basket. 

Women must keep their head covered in the Orthodox Church.  Although I respectfully "fit in" by keeping my head covered, having a camera and no Easter basket probably gave us away!

Children's Program at Church

We attended an evangelical church with some friends (after going home and catching a few more hours of sleep!).  The children recited lines about Easter.  Even though we couldn't tell what they were saying, it was fun to see small children as a part of the service.  We were humbled by how well even a little three-year-old can speak in comparison to us!

Easter Sunday photo

Easter Lunch with Friends

A couple on our team invited several SEND families to their apartment for Easter lunch.  We enjoyed delicious food and great fellowship!

"Pysanka"--Decorated Easter Eggs

The eggs in the middle of the table are called "pysanka."  Ukrainians dye and decorate eggs around Easter and exchange them as a symbol of friendship and new life.  They often use real eggs, but these were traditionally-decorated wooden eggs.  Decorating with them is very common around Easter. 

After lunch, we played "Pictionary" on the Wii!  Good times!