Easter in Russia has many customs and traditions

Easter is an important Christian holiday affecting the lives of all who believe in it. In Russia, in present times, both the elderly and the young celebrate Easter. It is a yearly celebration that always occurs on Sunday according to the Julian calendar, but the actual date it falls on will change. Many interesting customs and traditions are represented on this day. The Easter holiday, celebrating the Resurrection of Christ, takes place in 2015 on Sunday, April 12th.

To visit the Orthodox Church

The most important factor to remember is that you celebrate this great, holy day with all of your heart. There are not any binding traditions to how an Orthodox Easter is celebrated, except to visit the Orthodox Church for the Easter service and blessing of food. On this day, it is strictly forbidden to work, and it is recommended to rest and do fun things.

Preparing for Easter

The hostess is preparing everything for the Easter holiday celebration in advance. The week before the Resurrection is called, “Holy Week.” The Russian people are involved in the purification and preparation of the house and cleaning the soul for the celebration. The mistress of the house is cleaning the house including the windows and doing the wash. Winter, window frames are removed during this time. The last week of Lent is the hardest. One cleanses the mind of thoughts and spends more time with prayers.

The symbols of Easter

Russian people have still kept today their old traditions for celebrating Easter. Even those who don’t believe in the holiday are going to church, painting eggs, baking Easter bread (Paskha), and cooking tasty dishes. These are the most common symbols of Easter in Russia. There is a special tradition on this day in Russia. People visit each other's homes presenting beautiful, painted eggs. In Russia there is a popular Easter game, “knocking the painted eggs.” If you knock somebody’s egg and your egg is not broken then you are the winner. It is believed that the winner will be healthy and happy during the year.

Easter is a joyful holiday

For many Russian people Easter is a joyful holiday symbolizing rebirth and renewal. People on this day greet and kiss each other, play fun games and enjoy tasty food on Orthodox Easter Day in Russia (when the Easter fast has finished).

Home Decoration

Russian women decorate the houses to make the Easter holiday more memorable. They use traditional flowers such as tulips, daffodils, lilies, and violets, and also Easter wreaths and willow branches. You can’t forget the most important symbols of this great holiday, painted eggs and candles, which take a central place in the house.

Great words of Easter

In our time, Russian people who encounter each other will not tell great words of Easter, but instead will try to tell a passerby, "Christ is risen!" This is met with a smile and the response, “Truly He is risen!” Oh, how miraculous are these words. When we utter or hear them, it will light our hearts with holy joy of the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter when and where they are spoken or even if they are unspoken. They will cause everyone to experience flutter in their hearts and faith in their souls glorifying the Risen Lord. The Russian Orthodox soul is still alive!