Tuesday, April 30, 2013

EASTER IN MOLDOVA


The Easter holiday is a very special event for all the Christians and it’s been always my mom’s favorite holiday. Happy Easter!

I don't know how is to celebrate this beautiful day in other country in the world, that’s why today I would love to tell you how we celebrate it in my country—Moldova.

Easter is the most sacred holiday of the Christian calendar, followed by Christmas. Every year Easter is celebrated in spring. The meaning of the Easter represents the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Seven weeks before Easter, every Christian is fasting (he must refrain from eating meat and dairy dishes), take care of his soul through acts of giving and charity. In this period every family is concerned about general cleaning—both the house and the whole household, to celebrate Easter in a clean environment. People renew their wardrobe for Easter, same as the earth dress new greenery and flowers.

For Easter, Christians dye red eggs. They are preparing other dishes as well, such as: baked lamb, roast lamb, sausages, and various salads. According to tradition in Moldova on Holy Thursday, housewives bake bread with cheese and sponge cake.

The night of the resurrection, believers go to church for religious service and holy the Easter dishes. Foods brought to the church in this night are a symbol of rebirth and fertility.

Arriving home, before they sit at the table, Christians are washing with fresh water, in which they put a red egg, a white egg and few coins, ’’to be clean, healthy, and rich all year round’’.

When they seat at the table, the Christians don’t eat before saying the words ’’Christ is risen!’’ The answer ’’truly he is risen!’’