Hoppy Easter !!!
April 8th, 2007
Easter (8th April) is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. Its a time for Christians to celebrate the life and resurrection of Christ. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and coloured eggs!
The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter (or Pascha) for the Bulgarian Orthodox Christians. Nowadays other colors are used as well. The eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The Easter breads are a worldwide Orthodox tradition as well. They are different sizes and decorated. The bread is called “kolache” or “kozunak”. This bread is taken to church on Saturday evening when a special sequence of services takes place: Midnight Office, Rush Procession, Matins & Divine Liturgy. Such breads and eggs are presented especially to the Spiritual parents (God parents, krustnitcite), to the biological parents, and also to other relatives, friends, etc.
The eggs are cracked after the midnight service and during the next days. Each person selects his/her egg. Then people take turns tapping their egg against each other, and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.
