Easter holiday: traditions, rituals, celebration, recipes

Easter is a fairly ancient holiday, whose origins date back to the old testament. Prepare for this day very carefully, accompanying the preparation not only with culinary masterpieces, but also with other things that we are talking about today. What traditions were born, how to celebrate Christ's Resurrection and where Easter came from in general - read our article.

The essence of Easter

To get it right celebrate easter, you need to understand where the tradition of celebration came from and what it symbolizes. Therefore, to begin with, a little background.

The very name “Passover” is the brainchild of the Hebrew “Passover”, which literally means “to pass” or “to pass by”. Easter has its origins in the Old Testament. In the 13th century BC. the Jewish people were enslaved by the pharaohs. The Egyptians feared that the Jewish people would become very large and they would forcefully overthrow the Egyptians. Therefore, the Pharaoh ordered that the Jews be treated as harshly as possible, loading them with the hardest and dirtiest work, and kill baby boys altogether.

Wanting to save their baby's life, the Jewish family hid the baby from the Egyptians, but when the baby was 3 months old, it was harder and harder to hide it. Therefore, the mother put the baby in a basket and carried him to the reeds, and put her older sister nearby so that she would watch him.

At that time, the daughter of Pharaoh went to the river to swim and noticed a basket with a child, realizing that this was a child of the Jews, she took pity and took him into foster care. The baby's name was Moses. The child grew up, but did not lose his spiritual relationship.

Walking through the yard one day, he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew severely. Unable to bear it, he decided to defend the latter and in anger killed the Egyptian. To avoid the execution that threatened him for such an act, he fled the country. There he married and lived a quiet life grazing sheep.

But one fine day, he noticed how a blackthorn was burning nearby and at the same time did not burn. Surprised, he approached him and heard the voice of God, which told him that he would grant freedom to the Jewish people, but for this Moses needed to go back.

For cruelty, God decided to send nine great calamities to the Egyptian people, but so that they would not befall the Jews, the latter were ordered to kill the immaculate lamb, cook the meat with bitter herbs and eat it, and grease the door frames with the blood of an animal. Grief entered every door that was not marked with a bloody seal.

On that wonderful night, the people were saved from a long and terrible slavery. In memory of the happy event, a holiday called Easter was established. It is on this day that all Jews around the world cook lamb and bake delicious aromatic bread.

The Christian people are celebrating Easter according to the new covenant. The New Testament Passover confesses a type of Christ, who personifies the lamb. He took upon himself all sins and sacrificed himself in the name of saving the people and giving them eternal life. In Christian customs, the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated, the day when Jesus was resurrected.

Now that you know the background, you can understand the essence of the holiday itself. Easter symbolizes freedom and eternal life. These are two great reasons to celebrate Easter, following all the traditions and rules that have developed over many centuries of the life of mankind.

How to choose the date of Easter

Easter never happens on the same day of the month. There is also an interesting story about how Easter is calculated. Until the year 325, Christian Easter was celebrated on a par with Jewish. But then, in the same 4th century, in Nicaea, it was decided that the celebration should fall on the next Sunday following the vernal equinox and the full moon. But at the same time there is one important addition, the Easter of Christians under no circumstances should fall on the Jewish date.

Based on this, it is clear that the date of Easter is directly related to the lunar and solar calendar. The Christian Church calculates the day of the celebration according to the Julian calendar. You can find out the date of the celebration yourself by making calculations according to the scheme below.

How to calculate the date of Easter

1. First you need to determine the date of the vernal equinox (this is when the length of the day and night are equal). As a rule, this falls on the 21st or 22nd of March.
2. Then, looking at the lunar calendar, you should determine when the first full moon comes, from the day of the equinox.
3. Determine the date of the first Sunday following the first full moon. This date will be considered Easter.

As you can see, it is not difficult to do this, you just need to have three calendars at hand: lunar, solar and ordinary.

Easter traditions

Such a bright and spring holiday is rich not only in its history, but also in traditions. The most popular, which have been observed for more than one century, we will consider below.

Easter service

On the day of the holiday, the most solemn service takes place in the churches, formed in the first centuries of the birth of Christianity. After a long and strict fast, many were baptized and continue to do so to this day. The peculiarity of the Easter service is that it takes place under the sacrament of the night and continues until dawn.

Easter greeting

From the festive night and for forty days, it is customary to christen, that is, not just say hello, but with a smile on our lips to say “Christ is Risen” with a smile, receiving the answer “Truly is risen”. This is followed by the obligatory triple kiss. It is believed that kissing is so sacred and brings happiness.

Easter fire

Fire plays a fundamental role in Easter rituals and public celebrations. Symbolizing the Light of God, it received a second name - the blessed fire. Each of the believers on this night wants to get it and bring it to their home.

The fire begins its path from the Jerusalem land and, overcoming a rather long path, finds itself in the cities of Russia and other countries. Christians make every effort so that the blessed fire brought into the house burns throughout the year.

Before the revolution, both in Russia and in the West, it was customary to kindle large fires on the territory of churches. Unfortunately, due to the growing number of cities and the density of population in them, this wonderful tradition has practically sunk into oblivion. However, in small villages and hamlets, people continue to observe the traditional ignition to this day. This is a symbol of the burning of the traitor Judas, but mainly the fire was intended for parishioners who could warm themselves near him after the service.

Easter meal

On an idle Saturday, as well as after the completion of the solemn divine service, in churches they begin to illuminate cakes, eggs, Easter and other dishes.

In Christian Easter, it is supposed to bake cakes and cook Easter. However, in southern countries to this day, a tradition is observed that requires the slaughter and preparation of a lamb for a meal.

They strive to complete the culinary preparations by Maundy Thursday, so that there are no reasons to be distracted during Good Friday, which symbolizes the removal of the relics of the Holy Shroud and long prayers.

Procession

On the eve of Easter, all believers gather near the walls of the temples and at midnight make a procession with prayer chants. This tradition should not be confused with the historical event of the Crusade.

Each country has additional traditions that accompany worship. For example, in Greece, parishioners, having waited for the moment of the onset of Easter, begin to make a loud noise, rattling sticks down the stairs. This action symbolizes the earthquake that happened in Jerusalem at the moment the stone was leaving the tomb of Jesus during the Resurrection.

Folk customs and traditions

On the territory of Russia, within the boundaries of the churchyard, folk festivities take place on Easter evening. Round dances, songs, dances, swinging. The celebration lasts up to three weeks. This period got its name - "Krasnaya Gorka".

In the cities of Bulgaria at this time, clay pots, made and painted in advance, are dropped from high-rise buildings. It is a symbol of the victory of good over evil and life over death. Passers-by can pick up a piece of broken dishes for themselves, for good luck.

All insults are forgiven these days. Bitterness and troubles go away, and in return comes peace and happiness.

Easter brings with it a lot of children's fun. The young population is competing on eggs. One of the popular fun is pokatushki. The meaning is simple - two eggs were pushing at the same time, whose farther rolled away, he won.

Adults rolled eggs on the ground. It was considered and is considered to this day that the land after that becomes fertile and will bring a rich harvest this year.

In Western countries, as well as in North America, it is customary to hide eggs early in the morning, and children who wake up, barely having time to open their eyes, begin to look for them with enviable enthusiasm throughout the house. The little ones think that at night they are hidden by the Easter bunny, which in these countries is considered a symbol of fertility and wealth.

In many countries, it is customary to douche on this day. Water brings happiness and washes away all sins. But being dry is not a good sign. In France, on solemn Monday, beating of husbands by their wives is practiced, not serious, of course, but just as a joke, but on Tuesday men answer the same to their loved ones.

In the countries of Europe, as well as Australia, Easter is celebrated at the state level and is marked by the weekend. For students and schoolchildren, this is a vacation period.

Fasting before Easter

Fasting before Easter is considered the longest and strictest, therefore it is called Great Lent. It lasts exactly 40 days from the end of Maslenitsa. The deadline was set for a reason. It is believed that this is how much the Savior walked in the desert, passing the temptations prepared by the devil, and not eating. The last week, which commemorates the end of Christ's earthly life and the torment before death, plays a special role in Great Lent.

The first Monday is characterized by a complete refusal of food. On this day, you can only drink water. On other days, the following rules apply:

• on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, dry eating occurs, when the use of water, bread, fruits, vegetables and compotes is allowed;
• hot food is eaten on Tuesday and Thursday, but without oil;
• on the remaining days, food is consumed with vegetable oil.

On the big holidays that fall on Easter, you can feast on fish and fish caviar. But on Good Friday you cannot eat anything until the shroud is taken out.

How to tell children about Easter

At a conscious age, every child in a Christian family knows about the existence of the holiday of Easter. He knows that this is a very good and good day, when everyone is happy and having fun, but why all this is happening to him, of course, is not clear. The question arises of how to correctly and most intelligibly tell the baby the whole story so that he understands everything.

Children initially have a creative approach to the perception of absolutely any information. Therefore, trying to explain something in words, you are unlikely to come to the desired effect. Much easier to go the other way. In church shops, and on the shelves of ordinary bookstores, you will find a large amount of children's literature dedicated to Easter.

The authors of the works present the history of the holiday in a language accessible to children, accompanying their narration with fascinating pictures. Sit on the bed with your baby on a cozy evening and read the book together, discussing each picture.

Looking at the images, the baby will definitely understand everything and will have a full idea of ​​how Easter appeared, what it symbolizes and why all people are so happy about its arrival.

Easter songs

Since Easter is a holiday of fun, it must have songs. We bring to your attention a few Easter chants.

Easter gifts

First of all, the symbols of Easter are the rabbit and eggs, so they are among the main gifts on this day.

Interesting fact. In traditional icon painting, a halo is always depicted around the heads of the saints, which is the fundamental reason for the symbolism of the egg.

For children, there are chocolate bunnies, soft toys and souvenir rabbits with eggs.

For the adult population, in principle, any things that have the appropriate symbols are suitable. These can be bathrobes or slippers with bunny ears, jewelry, ties and other things that have either the shape or ornament of a bunny or eggs.

The main rule of a gift is durability, so that for a long time it reminds its owner of a bright day and happy moments of the holiday.

A practical, beautiful and original gift for Easter - salt and pepper shakers in the form of eggs.

However, despite such a wide selection of gifts, in Christianity there is an unshakable tradition of giving eggs. It is great if it is prepared with your own hands. You can apply a little imagination and create a real work of art do it yourself... Below we present to your attention a wonderful master class that will help you make a lace egg.

DIY Easter crafts

Following the step-by-step recommendations, in the end you will get such a wonderful lace egg. It will become a wonderful decoration for any home and will remind you of a bright and good holiday for a long time.

To create an egg, you need a plastic mold, which is usually sold in surprise toys for children. Halve it and make holes at the top of each with an awl. This action is necessary in order for the drawing to be symmetrical.

From the seamy side, insert the needles into the punctures so that the point comes out.

Measure the diameter of the egg so that 8 identical wedges appear on it. For convenience, attach the elastic bands to the needles. Then mark the lines with a felt-tip pen.

Once the lines have been drawn, the elastic can be removed. To make it convenient to work with the egg, in order to avoid rolling it on the table, place the form on a glass or stand in which the eggs are sold.

Wrap each of the halves with cling film, having previously numbered the halves symmetrically. The egg prepared for work should look like this.

Further, for work, you will need paper quilting strips. One pack of 100 pieces, strips size 300x1.5 mm. You can choose the color as you wish. Immediately it is worth making a reservation that every detail should be coated with glue in those places where there will be maximum contact with other details. Make sure that no glue residue is visible between the parts.

Make one thick paper roll and fix it with a needle at the very top of the egg. The approximate diameter of all rolls, regardless of their shape, is 7 mm. Then twist 8 rolls from a ½ strip, giving them the shape of a droplet (for this, half of the roll will have to "dissolve", ie loosen). They will just lie along the lines marked on the egg.

The next row consists of the same 8 unrolled rolls, made of ½ part of a strip, but in the shape of a circle. Fix with glue.

Next, you need to make curls from solid strips of paper. Curls can be formed with an awl, the distance between them is 7 mm.

Gently glue the entire strip along the diameter of the egg, covering the space between the rolls from the previous row. For the convenience of work, fix the previous rows of rolls with a needle.

In the middle of the egg there are 5 rows of 8 flowers made of 6 petals. You can prepare parts for work in advance or do everything in the process.

To make one row, you need to take 16 strips. Each petal is made from 1/3 of the strip. The diameter of the petal is not more than 5 mm. The process is similar to the previous one. Roll up the roll, dissolve it a little and give the shape of a drop.

Then the leaves are prepared. To do this, the strips must be cut into 4 equal parts. The rolled roll unfolds to a diameter of 5 mm. Use your fingers to shape them into a wave. There will be about 16 such "waves" in one row. You need to glue the leaves as shown in the photo.

Do not forget to glue the flowers from the back. When the glue dries a little, bend the flowers slightly so that they fit as tightly as possible to the egg in shape.

Glue the first row of flowers, each with a pin in the center.

Similar to the previous steps, glue the remaining two rows of flowers, placing them in a checkerboard pattern.

The upper part will hold 3 colors of flowers. Continue in this manner, making the fourth row with the same number of colors. But increase the diameter of the rolls a little so that they can cover the diameter of the egg.

Cut the strip into 4 equal pieces and begin to fold it in the looping method. Those. at the very beginning, fold 1.5 mm, and then continue to bend the strip, adding 1.5 mm on each side. As a result, you should get 16 strips about 12 mm in size. Cut off excess strips. The sequence of actions is clearly visible in the image below.

The fixed fourth row of flowers is below the level of the socket of the egg.

Use gentle movements to separate the egg and remove the stud.

Start working on the bottom of the egg. As at the very beginning, make a tight round roll and secure it with a pin at the very top.

Next, make drops from the rolls, making them from half a strip of paper. Dissolve in diameter up to 7 mm. You will need 8 pieces. Remember to glue them together. Only, unlike the top, here the petals are glued with the tip down.

Glue round loose rolls between the petals.

Then another row of round rolls.

Place both sides of the egg together. Continue to fix each new row with needles so that the pattern does not move.

Make 8 curls. This will require ¼ part of the strip. How to do them can be clearly seen in the image below.

And glue them to the egg as follows.

This is followed by swirls of whole stripes and a row of 8 flowers and 16 petals. They are arranged in the same checkerboard pattern and are made similarly to the previous ones.

The last row is docking. He is the most responsible. Here you need to try everything on. The petals are made in a loop that is already familiar to you. We made one leaf - tried it on, if it fits - glued it, if not - corrected it. But you only need to glue the leaves to the lower fifth row. Dock to the fourth, but do not glue, you will do this a little later.

Cut the egg in half with extreme care. Remove all the pins from the top of the egg and carefully remove the lace from the mold. Then stick the needle into the flower that was between 1 and 8.

The left needle will serve as a mark for an even alignment.

Repeat the same with the bottom part, leaving the needle in the same place.

Coat the leaves with stamps and join both halves. At this stage, you need to be patient and wait for the figure to grab.

Everything! The Easter egg is ready, you can enjoy the result.

You can further decorate the egg by placing, for example, rhinestones or beads in the center of each flower.

Easter recipes

For Easter, it is customary to prepare two main dishes: Easter cottage cheese and Easter cake. However, this does not mean that the rest of the dishes are prohibited. On the contrary, the more varied your table is, the better. As such, there are no Easter recipes, and under their guise are given out ordinary dishes and pastries, which have nothing to do with the Easter holiday.

Cook and bake what you like and enjoy eating. This will bring more joy, which is the true meaning of the holiday of bright Easter!

Easter eggs

Paint eggs better with natural dyes, for example, in onion skins. To do this, pour the husks of eight onions with two glasses of water and boil for about 40 minutes. Then free the broth from the husks by filtering it and place the eggs in a saucepan. The latter should be at room temperature and washed perfectly. For the eggs to take on color, they need to boil for about 7-10 minutes.

In stores, you can buy natural dyes for eggs, which contain concentrates of various natural ingredients. Be sure to read the ingredients on the label so you don't buy chemicals. Each package contains detailed instructions, following which you will get multi-colored eggs and at the same time absolutely harmless.

Easter cake

This recipe is great for aspiring bakers.

• 3 eggs;
• 175 g butter;
• 105 ml of milk;
• 6 tablespoons of sugar;
• 450 g wheat flour;
• 3 teaspoons of yeast;
• 100 g raisins;
• salt to taste.

1. Soak the raisins overnight to make them swell.
2. Dissolve half of the sugar and yeast in warm milk. Let it stand for a while.
3. Then add the rest of the ingredients and knead the dough.
4. Place it in a greased mold and place in a warm place to rise for a couple of hours.
5. Bake the coming cake at 180 degrees for about half an hour.
6. After the cake has cooled, remove it from the mold and decorate with icing and sprinkling.

Curd Easter

Classic recipe cottage cheese easter.

• cottage cheese - 1 kg;
• yolk - 3 pieces;
• sour cream - 150 g;
• sugar - 1 glass;
• salt to taste;

1. Wipe the curd through a sieve.
2. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar and salt separately.
3. Mix the egg mass with grated cottage cheese.
4. Add sour cream and mix everything thoroughly. You can add raisins or other dried fruits if you like.
5. Place curd mass under the press so that all the liquid comes out. This will take several hours in the cold.
6. Transfer everything to a separate plate, shaping the Easter in advance (during the spin cycle).