I have always been interested in how people from various parts of the world celebrate the same holiday. In regards to Pascha, my husband and I (both American converts to Orthodoxy) have been somewhat slow to adopt the traditional Russian practices of our parish simply because it takes time to feel at home in a foreign culture. Despite the fact that we are somewhat used to being "foreigners" after living in China for three years, we've found that it's hard to adopt new cultural practices and make them our own without having a clear understanding of the deeper meaning behind such traditions.
This Pascha, I decided to delve a little further into some of the Russian Orthodox traditions, by baking my first kulich. Not to worry, this post is not going to be about my adventures in baking kulich, but rather, how these foods made special for Pascha are just another learning tool because of their symbolic significance. Preparing a Pascha basket is also a great opportunity for kids to take part and learn more about why this is a tradition worth passing down.
For Orthodox Christians, the Pascha basket usually contains some of the foods from which we have fasted during the 40 days that are Great Lent. The contents of each basket may vary somewhat and I can honestly say that I have not seen ones containing bitter herb or salt at my church parish. However, here is a list of some the things one might find in a traditional Pascha basket.
For Orthodox Christians, the Pascha basket usually contains some of the foods from which we have fasted during the 40 days that are Great Lent. The contents of each basket may vary somewhat and I can honestly say that I have not seen ones containing bitter herb or salt at my church parish. However, here is a list of some the things one might find in a traditional Pascha basket.
The kulich baked by Russian Orthodox is said to symbolize Christ himself and the white frosting that covers the top, his funeral shroud. The top is often decorated with the Orthodox three post cross or with the Cyrillic letters Хв, the first two letters of the words, Христос воскресе (Christ is Risen). The baking of kulich is a special time that's reserved for this once a year celebration. There are a number of recipes for this bread that can be found online. This year, I used the recipe that I found here which I think turned out quite well.
Paska Cheese
This cheese dessert is traditionally made into a pyramid-shaped mold imprinted with the Orthodox Cross. Cheese and butter are figurative of all the good things in life and remind us of the earthly gifts that come from God. Some Pascha baskets may also include wine and meat for this same reason.
This cheese dessert is traditionally made into a pyramid-shaped mold imprinted with the Orthodox Cross. Cheese and butter are figurative of all the good things in life and remind us of the earthly gifts that come from God. Some Pascha baskets may also include wine and meat for this same reason.
Horseradish or garlic may be included to serve as reminder of the first Passover. Horseradish is eaten as a traditional part of the original Passover meal and symbolizes the bitter sufferings, which Christ endured for our sake. Sometimes the herb is colored red with beets to represent the blood of Christ.Salt serves as a reminder to us that we are the salt of the earth.
Red egg
For Orthodox Christians, the red egg is likened to the tomb from which Christ arose. This is because of the miracle of new life that comes from the egg, just as Christ miraculously came forth from the tomb. There is an old tradition that Mary Magdalene, who was the first to receive the joyful news from the angel of Christ’s resurrection, presented a red egg to the Emperor Tiberius when she was preaching about Christ in the city of Rome. The red egg was a symbol of the faith of the Christians. We dye them red because the color indicates joy and happiness and represents the blood of Christ that was shed on the precious Cross.
In addition to the Pascha basket serving as a learning tool, I also find that it's important for children to reflect back on the Holiest of Holy Days the following Sunday while it is still fresh in their minds. I believe it was my first year teaching Sunday School that I came across the story that explains why we in the Orthodox Church dye eggs red for Pascha and thought of a way that this could also be tied in with St. Thomas Sunday which is May 1/18.
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Pascha & St. Thomas Sunday LessonPaschal Greeting & Red Eggs
- Ask children if they know the Paschal greeting, “Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!” Do they know it other languages?
Greek: Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!
Chinese: Jīdū fùhuó le! Tā quèshí fùhuó le! 基督复活了! 他确实复活了!
- We greet Orthodox Christians in this way from Pascha until what time? (Answer: The Ascension of our Lord – this year, 2011, it’s June 2/20)
- The Sunday before Pascha we dyed eggs. Ask children if they know why in the Orthodox Church we often have special red eggs that are part of the Pascha celebration. Do they know the story about St. Mary Magdalene and the red egg?
- Tell the children the story of St. Mary Magdalene, “Equal to the Apostles” and how she travelled far to Rome to visit with the Roman emperor to tell him the news of Christ’s resurrection. (see “A Child’s Paradise of Saints” by Nun Nectaria McLees pgs. 26 -28). This book includes beautiful illustrations by iconographer, Elena Stefarova that can be shared with the children.
- Talk with the children about how some people need proof in order to believe.
- Saint Thomas, one of Christ’s Apostles was also one of these people. He wanted to see Christ with his own eyes before he would believe that he had risen from the dead.
- Read from Children’s Bible: John 20:19-29 or read the following:
Everyone had seen Jesus die on the cross. So imagine their great joy when Jesus came to the disciples after he had risen from the dead. Now Thomas, one of the disciples was not with them when Jesus had come. So, excitedly, the others told him "We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas couldn't quite believe it. He said that unless he saw the nail marks in his hands and could put his fingers where they were or put his hand into Jesus' side, he just wasn't going to believe it. Well, about a week later all of the disciples were in the house, this time Thomas was with them. And even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. Jesus told Thomas to feel his hands and feel his side. He told Thomas to stop doubting and to believe! Of course then, Thomas believed it was Him and Thomas answered and said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God”. Then Jesus said this: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Review Questions:
1. Who was not with the disciples when Jesus came to them the first time?
2. What did the other disciples tell Thomas?
3. What did Thomas say he needed to see before he would believe?
4. A week later who came to the house where the disciples were?
5. What did this person say to Thomas?
6. When Thomas found out that Jesus was really alive, what did he say?
7. Why were Christ's disciples behind locked doors when He appeared to them?
More about St. Thomas – Review:
- St. Thomas was one of the twelve Apostles. After Christ’s ascension to Heaven, Thomas, like the other Apostles went to faraway places to spread the word of God and to tell them about who Christ was.
- St. Thomas went to India and taught people about Christ
- If the children are familiar with the story of Saint Thomas who built “treasures in heaven” for an Indian king you may also want to review it.
Activity Ideas:
- Share photos from previous Pascha services/celebrations
- Word Search
Christ is Risen!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful blog!
God Bless!
Fr. Alexander
Thanks for this, Leanna. I'm enjoying your blog and look forward to reading more of it as it comes!
ReplyDeletelaurie kelly
Dear Leanna,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your fine blog. I have a practical suggestion for the eggs in the Pascha basket.
Save all onion skins during fasting days until Holy Week. Dry them in an open basket and when they are dry, save them in a large ziplock or other bag. The onion skins can be from white, yellow or red onions - it doesn't matter. The caring and thinking about Pascha in advance is important. Preparation takes many forms. When it comes time to boil the eggs, prepare the eggs first by washing them in water and scrubbing them a bit, if necessary. Again, the color of the eggs does not matter. I usually use white. Set aside the washed eggs in a clean bowl.
With a large baggie of dried onion skins, you can prepare about four dozen eggs. Place the dry skins in the bottom of a large soup pot. Add quite a lot of water. Put the eggs on top, gently, and start the boiling process. Once the eggs come to a boil, you will start to see them turn beige, then brown, then red, then dark red. When they turn dark red, turn off the heat. Let everything cool. Some care is necessary to remove the eggs from the pot with a slotted spoon and to get rid of bits of onion skin. Put your red eggs into your clean dry bowl. Moisture in the eggs will be absorbed in a few minutes.
At this point, you can scratch a few designs into the eggs with a stylus, but they are beautiful just the way they are. You finish them by oiling your hands with olive oil and oiling each egg before placing it in a basket. This oil also gets somewhat absorbed.
One benefit of these Serbian/Greek/Bulgarian/Macedonian/Romanian/Turkish village eggs for Pascha besides being healthy is that they are especially good for blessing since they have no artificial colors. The left over shells are good for crushing small and returning to the earth to make mulch.
My children all loved taking white onion skins and white eggs and ending up with dark red eggs. And you avoid the comment I heard from one mother after getting her Pascha egg which was that she supposed them being blessed somehow took away the deleterious effects of all the chemicals in the dye that had seeped into the eggs themselves.