Христос воскрес! Easter in Ukraine

Easter is one of the year's most significant holidays in Ukraine. In fact, I'd say Easter is more of a season here than just a holiday, the same way that virtually all of December is Christmastime in the US. You start seeing the signs everywhere - the lines of people at shops, the seasonal paraphernalia, the festive feeling in the air and the bustle of preparation.

I picked up some flowers at the bazaar to adorn the kitchen table

Easter is interesting in Ukraine both for the traditions, and for the logistical details that surround them. As a newcomer here, I am equally fascinated by the divine and the mundane: the priest in his gleaming ceremonial garb, closely followed by brigade of men in rubber boots carrying plastic water buckets to keep him supplied. The 4am church services, the candles, the bells, the blessing of bread and wine - and then the clearance sale on Easter decorations at the bazaar almost immediately afterwards, and the huge lines of people at bus stops downtown on Easter Monday, waiting to head back home after their holiday weekend. Holidays manifest in fascinating ways.

The day before Easter: I just wanted a picture of the paska bread, but my host mom is very conscientious about making sure pictures look good, so she fixed up the whole table.

My childhood experiences of Easter in the US were definitely very different from what I've seen here in Ukraine. Yes, there are Easter baskets, but they are not filled by an Easter Bunny who comes in the night with candy and toys; rather, baskets are brought to church filled with bread, wine, and other foods to be blessed by a priest slinging rather intimidating amounts of holy water in the cold morning air. Thousands of people stand together in the dark, their baskets glowing with candles and draped with decorative Easter cloths. Or, as in the case of my host mom, they shove through the crowds like devoted fans at a rock concert, making sure they get their turn to be blessed.

Priest blessing the waiting crowds with holy water. He was closely followed by a bucket brigade, to keep him well-supplied. 

Leaving the church after we paid homage to the various icons inside. We came around 4:45am, and people continued to arrive until well after 8am.

In Ukraine, we also have Easter eggs - but we do not hide and then hunt for them. Rather, we have a competition in which two people at a time strike their eggs together, and the owner of whichever egg doesn't crack is declared victorious. I did pretty well at this, actually :-)

These Easter eggs are simple to make - you buy plastic sleeves, put them around the eggs, and then hard-boil the eggs in these sleeves so that they adhere. The paska bread takes quite a lot more work, though! 

Church is followed by a feast that is not for the faint of heart - especially given that we are feasting at 6am. On Easter there is no taboo about drinking alcohol early in the morning. I had something like 5 glasses of wine with my breakfast, to toast the resurrection of Jesus.

I think my favorite thing about Easter here is all the picnics. After my post-breakfast recovery nap, I took a walk along the river, and for a good mile the parkway along the shore was dotted with families out to enjoy the holiday. Men were out fishing, young people had stereos and soccer balls, old folks and families had picnic blankets laid out with cheese and wine. Many people took advantage of fallen trees to sit on, and most gathered nearby branches to build fires and makeshift barbecue spits. The rain deterred nobody, and some people even had tarps strung up in the trees to cover their little folding tables.

I got concerned looks if I tried to photograph the people who were out picnicking, so I just took a photo of this motorcycle. 

Easter Season is not quite over, it seems. Stores are filled with leftover paska bread, and people are busy visiting the graves of deceased loved ones to bring offerings of eggs and wine. My host mom was telling me that on the 24th, there will be another holiday specifically for memorializing those who have passed, although she already visited the graves of her parents the day before Easter.

To all those at home in the States, I hope all is well! I miss the chocolate bunnies and Reese's peanut butter eggs, but I am still glad to be here experiencing one of the biggest holidays in Ukraine!


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