Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Easter is in the air

Easter is coming. I realized it last week. Not because of big pink bunny rabbits decorating store windows (there aren't any), not because of pastel colored peeps lining the checkout isle (there aren't any) Not even because of a plethora of Easter baskets and Easter candy assulting the buyer entering a store (there aren't any). No, rather I know that Easter is coming because on the street people are selling green onions, a weird leafy vegetable I last wrote about here and radishes. Soon after I noticed the radishes, I also realized that more cake ladies had sprouted on street corners and the other day I saw a man running around with his hands full of woven baskets (but not with Easter bunnies- women will load them with ingredients for easter dinner and take them to the priest to bless on Easter Saturday or Sunday morning).

I decided that now would be the time to begin my quest to find and collect the plastic egg sleeves for decorating eggs. Because Pisanki is very difficult (and you can't eat the eggs) Easter eggs - in the form we know them are still all over the place here - but aside from using colors (very very bright strongs colors) they also have a very wide variety of interesting egg sleeves with traditional designs, paintings from fairy tales, as well as icons. I didn't buy the icons. Last year they sold out really quickly and buy the time I figured out that they might make fun and orignial gifts, they were all gone. So I am congratulating myself for being ahead of the game this year.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Orthodox Easter

For anyone keeping track - this last weekend was Orthodox Easter - And we joined the throng celebrating Christ's Resurrection.

Really, it's harder to celebrate a holiday at a separate time than the culture around you (no wonder the Israelites kept getting pulled into the Native practices)


Orthodox Easter is a Big deal. Many people are strictly fasting in the weeks leading up to Easter and then they go and stand all night at the church for the Easter Eave Service and Blessing. On Sunday, you'll see people carrying their baskets of eggs, wine, Easter Bread, and other products to be served at the Easter Feast to the church to be blessed. Click here for more on Ukrainian Easter traditions.


(Thanks Bob for the pic!)

A Return to the Blog

This blog first started after we arrived in Ukraine and set up house on the 14th storey of an apartment on the outskirts of Kiev. Since then...