In the minds of Russian-speaking people, knowledge and superstition are often miraculously mixed. Even deeply religious people do not always understand how to prepare for the most important Orthodox holiday - Easter.
Instruction manual
1
Easter holiday in Orthodoxy is a celebration in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. The most important rule in preparing for Easter is finding peace in the heart, cleansing the soul. Great Lent contributes to this. Some people believe that fasting is a series of nutritional restrictions. This is only partly true. During Lent, you cannot eat animal food. Believers should eat fruits and vegetables. All soups should be cooked in vegetable broth. You can’t eat anything on some fasting days, and fish and seafood on others.
2
Fasting is held not only to cleanse the body, but also to pacify the soul. In preparation for Easter, you can not swear with anyone. It’s better to forgive old offenders, and if someone is offended by you, ask for forgiveness. If you have the opportunity and desire, take communion.
3
A few days before Easter, think about what should be on the holiday table. The day of conversation should not turn into a feast of the stomach, since gluttony is a sin. It is better if you choose delicious, but simple dishes.
4
On the Easter table must be colored eggs. Various stickers with images of icons are unacceptable, and you can not put on the Easter eggs the symbol of the cross, the image of temples. The church considers this a sacrilege. Eggs can be dyed either with improvised means, for example, onion husks, or food colors sold in stores. Red Easter eggs are a symbol of the triumph of life and its victory over death. It is allowed to apply various ornaments, plant images.
5
Another Easter attribute that should be taken care of in advance is Easter cake. Bread, baked in a special way, is considered a symbol of the presence of God nearby in the life of every person. If you bake Easter cake yourself, you can add nuts and raisins to it, pour sugar icing on it, sprinkle with powder. Purchased Easter cakes, despite the inscriptions on the labels and the assurances of manufacturers and sellers, are not covered by anyone. From the point of view of the canonical church, the priest’s sprinkling of Easter cakes with holy water and the reading of prayers over them are not considered sanctification.
6
Whether you bought a cake or baked it yourself, but it must be consecrated in the church. Most often, Easter cakes, eggs and other traditional Easter food are blessed after the end of the liturgy on Holy Saturday, but it is better to know about the time of consecration in a particular church in advance. Church officials say that only those foods that are sanctified in the Easter service are “right”.
7
Residents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and a number of other countries have the habit of going to the cemetery to relatives and friends on Easter Day. The clergy are categorically against this. The graves should be put in order after the winter before Easter, and on the festive Sunday itself, rejoice and enjoy the triumph of life.
