Fast

Easter is preceded by Lent - the most severe fast in Christianity. It lasts seven weeks. All this time it is forbidden to eat meat and drink alcohol. Fish, eggs and milk Are strictly limited and are allowed only on certain days. During the seventh week, the post is most stringent. On Monday and Wednesday, it is allowed to eat nuts, seeds, bread, raw vegetables and fruits without oil. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it is permitted to eat cold food without oil. On Friday, you should completely refrain from any food.

Worship service

Immediately before the onset of "bright Sunday", on Saturday night the liturgy begins. During this ritual, the priests with their flock leave the temple and go around it. The procession is accompanied by a loud bell ringing.

Paska and Easter eggs

These are mandatory attributes of Easter. Paska is a special Ukrainian Easter bread, which is baked by housewives before the holiday. Ukrainian pysanky - hand-painted boiled chicken eggs. All this, as well as other Ukrainian Easter dishes, is customary to bring to the Easter service, to "consecrate" them. It is believed that after worship these products acquire special sacred properties. Making Ukrainian Easter eggs is a rather interesting process. There are many coloring techniques, both simpler and rather complex. Ukrainian eggs art is well known outside the country.

Easter greeting

Greeting “Happy Easter” in Ukrainian commonly is not used. Instead of it, starting from Sunday morning and during the next thirty days, it is customary to “chrystovatysya”, which means to greet each other with the words: “Chrystos voskres!” (“Christ is risen!”). The respond to the greetings sounds like “voistynu voskres!” (“truly he is risen!”). This ritual which was formed in apostolic times, is accompanied by kissing three times.

Easter fire

Easter fire plays a big role in worship, as well as in folk festivals. It symbolizes the Light of God, enlightening all nations after the Resurrection of Christ. The fire arrives from the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, after which the priests solemnly carry it to the temples. Believers light their candles from it. After the service, many carry the lamp with a fire home, where they try to maintain it for a year.

Easter meal

At the end of the strictest fast, all Christian believers indulge in a good meal. For this moment there is a special name - rozgovinnya. People gather at the holiday table and eat everything that was forbidden in the Lent. One of the Easter feasts fun is a smashing of Easter eggs. Two people take eggs and hit them together. The one whose egg is cracked is a loser.