Easter - a Symbol of Joy, Life and Resurrection

In the Christian world, Easter is celebrated in honor of the resurrection of Christ, and it is the biggest and most significant holiday alongside Christmas. Easter belongs to the group of movable feasts and always falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. It can occur as early as April 4th and as late as May 8th, according to the new calendar. Unlike Christmas, Easter is not rich in customs, and ethnologists speculate that it is due to its movable nature.

In line with the current events, limited movement, and isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year Easter will become a "virtual event" that will likely bring families together via video calls, given the social distancing measures.

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Easter is a day of joy, celebration, and gathering among people, and colored eggs were the means through which it was expressed. People would crack eggs together, exchange and gift them. In old Turkish records, Easter was referred to as the holiday of red eggs, which remains the most prominent feature of this holiday today.

The last week of the Easter fast is called Great or Silent Week, and the most significant days are Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. For Christians, Good Friday is a day of sorrow, mourning, and general silence, the day when Jesus was crucified on the cross. In Orthodox churches, on Good Friday, church bells do not ring, but instead, they are "clapped" or struck against a board. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are known in our folklore as "heavy" holidays, and on these days, in the morning, Easter eggs are colored, all work is suspended, and usually only one meal is eaten.

Egg Coloring and Decorating

Among the Serbs, the beliefs in the life-giving power of the egg gradually acquired a Christian significance, so the people attributed specific powers to the eggs that were colored before Easter. The Christian church accepted this custom relatively late, around the 12th century, and the mention of colored eggs in our regions dates back to the 16th century.

Eggs are colored and decorated on Maundy Thursday or Friday. Long ago, when the Serbs were just adopting this custom, certain individuals could perform this task according to established rules. However, today the situation is different, and children have a great time coloring and decorating eggs. Before coloring, eggs can be decorated with melted wax, and nowadays, special stickers made of paper or plastic are created and applied to the eggs. Various colors and techniques are used, such as boiling eggs with onion skins, nettle, or oak bark, and decorating them with dandelion leaves or dates. You can decorate eggs using mosaic or decoupage techniques, glitter, color them with crepe paper, embellish them with lace, napkins, and more.

However, one color was mandatory, and in some regions, it was the only color - red. The color red was treated as the color of blood, life, and the first colored egg had special significance and was called the "guardian." Over time, the first colored egg began to be called "čuvarkuća" (house guardian), "stražar" (guard), or "strašnik" (scarecrow). The protective power of the "čuvarkuća" referred to the home and its occupants.

Red Egg - Central Symbol

Today, you can find numerous texts attempting to explain the connection between the crucifixion and red eggs. Most of them involve Mary Magdalene being considered the main initiator of the egg coloring custom. One of the most widespread legends tells that three days after Jesus' crucifixion, Mary Magdalene visited his tomb carrying a basket of boiled eggs. When she arrived at the tomb, the stone at the entrance was moved, and the tomb was empty. At that moment, the eggs changed color to red. Another legend says that after Jesus' resurrection, Mary Magdalene went to Tiberius to deliver the joyful news, and he responded to her words by saying, "Christ has risen, just as this egg is red" - at that moment, Mary Magdalene was holding an egg in her hand, and as soon as he spoke those words, the egg changed color to red.

Easter Feast

For Easter, even today in some regions of Serbia, special ritual breads are prepared into which boiled eggs are pressed, and these are distributed to children and guests. Each household prepares a festive lunch that, unlike Christmas, incorporates many elements of customary practice and has no specific rules. In addition to colored eggs, which mark the end of fasting and hold a central place, the Easter table also features homemade soup, stuffed cabbage rolls (sarma), roasted meat, and a cake for dessert. The meal is enjoyed at home with family, and the next day, visits are made to friends and relatives, bringing along eggs. The essence of the holiday is the celebration of resurrection after death, which is why everything is much more modest compared to other holidays.

• Easter in Greece - Christ is Risen (Χριστός Ανέστη)!

The Orthodox Church and believers also celebrate the second day of Easter, known as Bright Monday, which announces the Bright Week during which fasting is not observed. On Easter Monday, guests are welcomed, and time is spent with family, godparents, and friends. In certain places, Easter Monday is also called "pobusani ponedeljak," dedicated to the departed, and it is customary to visit the cemetery and bring colored eggs.

Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!