Easter for Ukrainians it is a second big celebration, after
Christmas. I would say, Easter has much wider meaning for every Ukrainian
than just a religion meaning – it is a celebration of a spring spirit and a
celebration of good food. It is a perfect reason for families and friends to get
together.
40 days before the Easter Ukrainians have to keep a
tradition of the Great Lent – meat free, dairy free and egg free. In other
words, it is like a big spring
cleaning of your health, especially after a long and snowy winter.
Meat, eggs and dairy products, according to the Greek-Catholic
and Orthodox traditions (two major religions in Ukraine) you allowed to eat on an Easter day and all the days after that – till next
lent.
Also, you cannot simply eat meat, eggs and dairy on an Easter Sunday without blessing your food in a church first, so you have to prepare your Easter food basket. Preparing such a basket it is really big
deal for every Ukrainian, especially for the women of the house (normally in Ukraine
all the cooking, baking and preserving food done by women).
So, what is has to be in a Ukrainian Easter food basket?
Pysankas, which are nicely decorated hard boiled eggs (with
shells on – otherwise, how can you decorate?)
Paska, which is sweet egg bread with raisins
Meat products – sausages (mostly garlic ones), ham, smoked
bacon (whole piece)
Horseradish root or horseradish with beets (very
often both)
Dairy products – butter, cottage cheese or farmer cheese
Salt
These are traditional basics. Other food items that you
maybe want to put in your Easter basket are optional. Nowadays I saw plenty of
different things people are bringing to bless, like fruits and vegetables,
cookies, candies, chocolate etc. Actually, yes, you can fill up your Easter basket
with any kind of foods you like, but those traditional basic products for blessing are
MUST. Very-very basics are eggs, Paska (sweet egg bread), sausage and a horseradish,
so you can skip dairy products, if you didn't have time to prepare them or some
other reason. That’s what I, when I used to live in Ukraine (I was born over there),
normally did for Easter food – I just kept my eye on basics when it was time to
prepare my Easter basket; and that's what busy hardworking people in Ukraine do
for their Easter food – taking care of very basic items – eggs,
bread, meat and horseradish.
Well, take a look at
my best friend Olya’s and my Easter
food baskets from different years - when Olya and I used to live in
Ukraine:
As you can see, we had very basic foods in our baskets – Paska
breads, eggs, meat products and a horseradish with beets. Also, we put in our
baskets something modern to bless - chocolate bunny rabbits.
Another big deal for every Ukrainian lady preparing her
Easter basket is to decorate the basket nicely – with some greenery, like
vinca, myrtus or fern, and some painted wooden Easter eggs or beaded Easter
eggs, a candle and an embroidered cover.
A blessing an Easter food baskets is held on Saturday night,
before the Easter Sunday, or very early at the morning, on an Easter Sunday –
depend on a church schedule.
The ceremony of blessing is really, really nice and festive.
Ukrainians like to bring entire family, with kids and grand-kids to a ceremony.
People are lining up with their Easter food baskets on the church's front yard, waiting
for a priest with Holy Water to bless the baskets. Just like here, in one of
the churches in the
city of Ternopil,
West Ukraine:
Easter food also can be blessed inside of the Church -
Ukrainian
Church in
Edmonton,
Canada, Easter 2010:
So, an Easter food baskets are blessed! On an Easter Sunday
morning Ukrainians traditionally have an Easter breakfast. Or Easter brunch, if time is
close to afternoon.
Here is a picture of my best friend Olya, preparing an
Easter brunch - it was an Easter 2007 in Ukraine:
Next picture is – Olya’s Easter brunch is served; time to have an Easter feast!
As you can see, nothing fancy on the table; additionally to
traditional Easter food items, Olya put some marinated tomatoes, a bottle of
good red wine and sliced rye bread, for the meat. That’s how an Easter brunch
table looks like nowadays in a modern Ukrainian hardworking family (here is
more about
modern Easter in Ukraine).
When I used to live in Ukraine,
I served a similar festive table for my family – on the picture below, it was an
Easter 2006:
After I moved to
Canada,
I keep Ukrainian traditions for an Easter -
my husband and I have a Ukrainian
Easter brunch every year for our family and friends.
Here are few pictures from
celebration of Ukrainian Easter 2012 in our Canadian home. The brunch is served – hard boiled eggs, meat cold cuts, raisin bread, rye
bread and beets-horseradish:
My special woman’s joy for an Easter 2012 was this cute egg
caddie from Anthropologie store, given me as a gift by my husband’s brother
family:
Actually, I could make deviled eggs – they would look
beautifully in this caddie (well, maybe, this year), but I wanted to keep a
Ukrainian tradition when hard boiled eggs suppose to be eaten with a
horseradish side. Living in Ukraine,
besides having a beets-horseradish on an Easter table, I liked to grate
a horseradish root itself, on a top of eggs. I can do it now in Canada
– finally I am growing my own horseradish at our garden!
Happy Ukrainian Easter 2013 to everyone who celebrates it!
