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Easter Ukrainian Style

Woah! Easter is a big deal in Ukraine, it seems my Host Family has gone to church for a week straight! There is a lot involved in Easter and many Christians know and like any holiday Ukrainians seem to take it a bit more seriously, bringing up to a new level. Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter is when people bring a bouquet of pussy willows to church and after the church service everyone stands outside the church and their pussy willows are blessed.These pussy willows are kept for the year for protection. The week was then filled with baking and more church services and of course school. (The package my English Clubs sent was also received in Wyoming, yeah!) My Host Mom made cakes throughout the week and on Friday we made Paska, a special bread that is decorated for Easter. Sometimes they are frosted and they look like giant cupcakes and other are rounder and shorted with bread designs on top.

Saturday is spent deep cleaning and adding the final touches the basket for Sunday. After the cleaning was finished I was invited to visit the church for the first time. Ukrainian Orthodox Churches often have some gold on the outside, ours had a small amount on the very top. Inside the church were a lot of painting of Jesus and Mary all framed and covering the walls. In the center was the coffin of Christ which people prayed and bowed in front of. Women brought flowers to lay around it and when everyone finished praying they separated by gender to pray again. After people finished paying respects and praying we went to the cemetery to remember dead family members, bringing flowers and candles for their graves. When we got home it was time to prepare the basket. The basket it primarily filled with lent foods. People have been abstaining from sausage, butter, calo, and other things which then go into the basket to be blessed after church on Sunday. The entire village turns out for the blessing of baskets and some people go to church at 5 am. Women and men hold banners and walk in front of the priest as he first says prayers and then blesses the food and the people with cold holy water. Photo Ops commenced when church finished and everyone made sure the get a picture with their basket in their nice Easter outfits.

The Museum for the famous Ukrainian Easter Eggs - Pysanka is about an hour away from me and the Sunday before Easter I went with my CP and her daughter and my VP and her son. The museum itself is shaped and decorated like a Pysanka and is filled with eggs from every region in Ukraine and from around the world. The technique of creating the amazing Pysankas is from dipping the egg in layer of color and adding layers of wave, traditionally done with real eggs and goose eggs. Wood eggs are very common though not as complex much easier to transport.


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