|
One of the main differences between the Eastern Orthodox Easter, and the Western date concerning Easter is this, Eastern Orthodox, or Greek Orthodox Christians will never celebrate Easter before the Jewish Passover. Because the Orthodox, (and most Christians) believe that Jesus celebrated Easter BEFORE the Pascha (Easter.) An Orthodox Christian knows that Easter will always fall AFTER the Jewish Passover, not before. On a personal note I like to add here my own recollection about Easter in my childhood back in Europe...
I was born in Bucharest in a house right across from Orthodox Church - Patriarchal Cathedral - one of the most beautiful architectural, historic monument of Romania. The Cathedral situated on the top of a hill surrounded by beautiful garden with pathways, benches and old trees. I still remember first days of spring when the fresh air, flower aroma and birds chirps were bursting through my open window... Easter was always assimilated in my mind with spring - a fresh new beginning and a immense feeling of joy. Easter holyday were much anticipated. Traditionally, celebrations in Romania begin on the Saturday evening. Dressed in all their finest clothes and holding candles, people gather round the churches. At the Easter Resurrection Mass (Slujba de Inviere) just before midnight, the priest comes out to give a blessing, distribute holy bread and provide the flame from which everyone will light their candles. Suddenly the darkness is lit up and thousands of candles take to the streets.
I still see, when I close my eyes, the ocean of lights coming down the hill of from the Cathedral of thousands and thousands of people caring the candles... and the powerful sound of the church bells. One of the most enjoyable Easter meal past 12 midnight with my family. The traditional Easter eggs - that were only dark red - the red wine and the Easter Bread made of sweet cake, breaded with red eggs. And of course my mother roasted lamb and olives dishes.
On Sunday 27th we celebrate the Greek Orthodox Easter. I'll be in San Francisco to celebrate a family tradition. Christ has risen! Indeed he has!
**************************************************** Few images from the Easter mass
Celebration of Orthodox Easter!... Celebration of new life and HOPE!
|
I wish more people will be wiling to learn a little about other cultures ,sometimes when we tell people that Greek Orthodox Easter is next week I get the impression that they think we are weird ,I am from Romania which also celebrates
Easter with the rest of Eastern Europe and Christians from middle east and
Africa, the reason why the Greek Orthodox Easter always fall right after Passover is because
Orthodox church uses the Julian calendar and the western world use the Gregorian calendar to set the
Easter dates ......the Julian calendar was in use since 45BC,the Gregorian calendar was decreed by pope Gregory in February of 1582...
 |
ELITE REALTY
7448 W.Sahara Ave. #106 • Las Vegas, NV 89117
Office: (702) 856-6680 • Cell: (310) 529-5360
Website: http://www.lasvegas-buyandsell-realestate.com/
• Email: arina.lv@gmail.com
How wonderful Arina! Thank you so much for sharing - I can envision families young and old, walking down the street, with the candles aglow.
I believe keeping family traditions alive is a lost art - so many of us don't carry on with our own families. Do you still celebrate with the Easter bread and lamb?
Susan, Yes indeed... I love Armenian Orthodox. I had them in my family too and a lot of friends. When my parents came to United State ( about 30 years ago) their Armenian friends and Church helped them the most to get settled.
Kali Anastesi (Happy Reserection)
Debbie,
I was only 5 or 6 years old and still remember vividly the Easter night... I was transfixed with the ocean of candles aglow ... quite magic!
And YES, I do celebrate with my parents and my sister the Easter with bread, red eggs, lamb and a lot of red wine -:)
But again I don't have my own family I am single and still the baby in the family... Nice!
Yes, they keep the 15 days fasting (not me though...) and prepare a very elaborate traditional meal that starts at 12am on Saturday night after the mass... And boy they know how to enjoy!!!
Arina- Thanks.....yes I love the Maramures region. The Translvania region is nice too, but very different, probably because of the Hungarian and German influences, plus it's more Catholic than Orthodox (the Hungarian Population).....When the Catholic Pope came to Romania (the last Pope) they wouldn't let him go to Translvania....and it was also the first time in History that 2 Popes (your Greek Orthodox one, and the Roman Catholic one) rode in the Pope Mobile....now that was a very interesting thing for many people.
Anyway....Paste Fericit ...Happy Easter :)
Tom
Christos Anesti!My grandmother's name (from my mother side) was Despina Papadopolou and she and my grandfather came from Cyprus - Greece. My mother was raised in very traditional Greek culture.
But you know... I don't speak Greek nor Romanian language. But I love my heritage!
Kathy, You amaze and intrigue me... How come you speak Romanian???
Paste fericit!
Arina: Thanks for the lessons. It is wonderful of you to share your faith and beliefs with your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
God Bless and Happy Easter to you...
Kathy,
You know I do envy and admire you for moving (even for such short period of time) to Romania. I struggle with this idea myself, for some time now, thinking to go back (even for a short time) to reunite with my childhood friends and some of my family members left there. I don't speak Romanian but I understand 100% the language as my parents still speak between them Romanian. I'll be probably fluent in only few month... because the seeds are in there! But I agree with you the language is hard to learn and the grammar is even harder -:)
As for the countryside is lovely and nature breath taking!!! Have you been in Fagarasi Mountains? My father is coming from that area and show us numerous slides of that place.
Nicholas, Thank you for coming to my post. Indeed for me is most important to be and share the family tradition and our Christian believes. I was born in them. I was raised in them. I will treasure them for the rest of my life.
Nicholas, your name sounds Greek...
Arina- Yes I have been to that area.....it is berautiful for sure. And as far as you going back for a visit....so much has changed just from 1997 unti last year...so you will not even recognize it. And if your parents left 30 years ago they wouldn't recognize many things either. I met the current President, shook hands with him and everything.....he was the Mayor at the time, and I was impressed with him for sure.
Last year I sold a flat in the Mosilor area, and am trying to work on setting up an International Real Estate company over there. It isn't all that easy, and I have been thinking yes, no, yes, no........as my money has all been depleted with todays Market. So now it will be some time before I have the funds again. But seriously if you get a chance you should go......a great experience, and the family left behind talk of you guys in America all the time :) :)
Gary There is nobody in this entire world that would prepare a better lamb dishes than my mother! NOBODY!
Missing her traditional Easter meals would be the worst mistake you can make -:) Calories??? Who cares for one time indulgement... I wish I can invite everyone to the Greek ritual of Easter libation.
Arina: "Cristos a inviat!" is probably the most joyous Romanian phrase I remember from my childhood spent in Romania. I came here at the age of 15, so I remember it all as if it was yesterday.
My father was a communist and I was much discouraged from praying or attending church. My grandmother, however, secretly taught me how to pray and gave me bible study without the bible (the bible was a most precious book during those days, and very few people had them). She had read it before and she passed it all to me from her memory. I took to religion like a duck takes to water. I found solace in the little church I used to sneak into after school.
It was with great pleasure and honor that I attended my very first Easter at the age of eight. My parents let me attend Midnight Mass with my uncle, a medical student in his twenties at the time. I felt so empowered and so renewed by that celebration. It was my passport to religious freedom; my father quietly acquiesced to my religious proclivities. I will never forget that evening; it was magical!
Arina, thank you for bringing back those fond memories! I loved this blog! Thank you for writing it and posting it here! How lovely of you!
Kathy,
My parents left the country at it's worst nightmare... during Ceausescu's dictatorship. I went back, only one time, with my father and my sister in 1991 after his death. I was looking for my best friend whom I shared my first 6 years of childhood... we were living on the same street and loved each other to death. But the entire neighborhood was demolished to make space to the "Palatul Poporului", and I could not find her. I left with broken heart.
But in meantime I god hold of her. She is an attorney and with her husband have a private practice. (what a change for them...) She wanted me to go there and open a Real Estate office but just as you been saying... not enough founds at hand.
Anyway! I think that it is interesting for a future enterprise in the International Real Estate field. Just stay in touch with me... never now! I want to go this summer to see her (everybody keeps telling me that is not best time to travel... with the dollar downside) I promise to let you know.
Mirela, "Adevarat a inviat!"... How sweet that sounds.
I am very glad that you enjoyed the post. I was only six years old when I came here and for the last few years, before living Romania, I was very much influenced by my family courageous attitude for the liberty of religion (besides other convictions...). After many years of dark fears and intimidation we finally came out and express freely our religious believes.
I also believe that in Bucharest, at that time, the pressure over the religious practice was diminished somehow because I witnessed a wave of religious enthusiasm of mass proportion. From my grandmother's house, just across from "Mitropolia Bucuresti" I witnessed every Easter Resurrection Midnight mass. The thousands and thousands of Christians holding the candlelight like a river of light... It was magic.
What wonderful memories, Arina! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
When I was in high school I worked for two brothers that came from Greece when they were 16 and 18. They both had arranged marriages; the one wife spoke no English when she came to Chicago. The younger brother offered me the deal of a life time and I didn't take it: If I learned basic Greek, he would take me with him and the family when they returned to Greece for a family vacation. I was intrigued but never followed through. Now, for the last 20 odd years I wish I would have taken him up on his offer!
Arina, this was a fascinating post and your childhood recollections strengthened the lesson. We have some Orthodox friends. Does the label "little Easter" make sense and do Orthodox Christians believe the description as patronizing?
My friend also roasts the lamb; he lives in Queens. Astoria is a large Greek Orthodox community I believe.
Arina- Let me know if you go this summer....and absolutely I would like to stay in contact....maybe we could collaborate on this. I already own a couple eu domains, and was looking into getting a different one :) Don't know if you remember but try not to make your trip in August or September way too hot, and most people go on Holiday in August :)
Andrew, Thank you for coming and read the post.
I did not hear about the label "little Easter" before... and frankly doesn't make any difference to me. All I know, and can tell you, is that for some 300 million Orthodox all over the world, their faith is important.
Personally I think that if such a label is going around would only reflect a "little" understanding and acceptance of others belief... As far as for me - not a believer in the strict sense of the word - the Easter is one of my precious family tradition... and yes, we are "a big fat Greek family"
Kathy, I will keep you posted about the trip... Anyway sooner or later I have to go back and reconnect with my roots.
I know about late summers-fall days in Romania. It was the time when my grandmother would take me and my sister to spend about 2 month on the beautiful countryside little village of Rasinari, my father's family roots.
I will let you know and I am very glad to think that we could connect in the future in doing something together -:)
Debbie,The truth is that the Greek language is a hard one. But I can imagine how beneficial is to be able to speak the language while traveling to Greece... It is a fascinating place under the sun, You cannot help but fall in love with those "happy easy going" people.
Arina......
I will second Nicks comment..... THANK you for sharing a celebration that means so much to you.....
When we honor the Lord in our lives... He is pleased........
I pray blessings on you and your family, sister....
In our Messiahs wonderful name --- Jesus --- !!!
\O/
Arina,
From my "big fat greek family" to yours, Kali Anastasi!
I'll be celebrating this weekend with family in New York, and yes, we are roasting lamb on a spit. I don't fast for the entire period, much to my mother's dismay, but I love keeping all of the other traditions alive as much as I can (especially the eating part!). Does your family make the soup, Magiritsa? I used to hate it as a child, but have grown to love it's very unique flavor (as long as I ignore what it is made of).
Have a wonderful Easter holiday and enjoy the time with your family.
Alithos Anesti!!!
Arina, Yasoo! I spent 5 months in Myconos and traveled the Greek Islands in 1990. It was a time where my tiny pension was enough with one room and a bunk for $4 US per day, Gyros were .75 cents, the USA Today arrived via ship once per week, and we spent our time learning the culture and the people of Greece. I wouldn't trade those moments in ever!
dean
Arina,
What a lovely, informative post for those of us who didn't know about this holiday. Thank you for sharing with all of us.
Coco
Arina,
Hristos A Inviat. Although it's past the time to say that. I belong to St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg Florida and the only reason I know how to great you in Romanian (I'm Greek) is because our priest is Romanian. He's the most wonderful Orthodox priest I have ever know. I hope that if you are ever in St. Petersburg Florida, you will stop by to see and worship with us. May God grant you all the blessings that life has to offer.
Stavrula