Pascha: Eastern Orthodox Christians rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus

April 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

SUNDAY, APRIL 20: The glorious day has arrived and 2 billion Christians the world over come to rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus. For Eastern Orthodox Christians, today is the Great and Holy Pascha. So named because of its reference to Jesus, the paschal lamb (St. John indicates that Jesus was crucified at the time the paschal lambs were being killed), in addition to the historical occurrence of Jesus’ crucifixion during the Passover feast, Orthodox Christians hold dear the name of Pascha. The Orthodox Research Institute does indicate, however, that the word Easter may be used interchangeably with Pascha in mixed company, for both titles hail the same event that defines the very essence of Christianity: the Resurrection (and eventual Ascension) of Jesus.

Pascha services begin in the darkness of Saturday evening, running late into the night. Just before midnight, a celebrant walks to the church’s temporary “tomb,” and removes the cover sheet: and behold, Jesus is not there! The sheet is carried to the altar table, and at midnight, the magnificent Pascha procession begins.  (Learn more from Orthodox Church in America.)

The Paschal Troparion is sung, together with the verses of Psalm 68, which from now will signal the start of every service during the Easter season. In a church adorned in flowers, attendants face the Easter icon: an image of Christ destroying the gates of hell and freeing Adam and Eve from death. The atmosphere is overwhelmingly joyous; hymns announce victory over death, and all are invited to partake in the Holy Communion, of Christ, the Passover lamb.

RUSSIA & GREECE: KULICH, TSOUREKI, THE PASSOVER LAMB AND RED EGG LEGENDS

Unlike the Western Christian Lenten fast, which prohibits meat just on Fridays and on Ash Wednesday, the Eastern Orthodox Lenten fast prohibits dairy and meat during the entire season—and so on Pascha, the feast is magnificent! A primary component of the Russian table today is pascha—a dense, cold cheesecake often made with curd cheese and dried fruits—alongside kulichi, soft fruit cakes. (Find an authentic recipe for pascha here. A recipe for kulich, or kulichi, is here.)

In Greece, grilled vegetables, bean salads, seafood and breads complement the centerpiece: the Pascha lamb. Spiced to perfection, the lamb (or, occasionally, goat) satisfies palates alongside the traditional tsoureki, a Greek bread that is decorated with red eggs. (Recipes for Greek lamb, soup, asparagus and tsoureki are in this article from National Public Radio.)

Why red eggs? Red eggs have long been an integral part of Eastern Orthodox Pascha, and with good reason: several legends tell of miracles that began with red eggs. In one, Mary Magdalene was bringing cooked eggs to share with the other women at the tomb of Jesus, and when she saw the risen Jesus Christ, the eggs suddenly turned a vibrant red. In a different story, Mary Magdalene was spreading word of Jesus’ resurrection when she approached the doubtful Emperor of Rome. Upon her greeting, the emperor remarked that, “Christ has no more risen than that egg is red.” With that, the egg turned a dark red. Yet another legend tells of Mary Magdalene’s egg turning red in the presence of Julius Caesar—and because of these miraculous stories, Orthodox Christians exchange red eggs at Pascha.

The next seven days—beginning today, on Pascha—are known as Bright Week, or Renewal Week.

Orthodox Christians move to Great Lent with Meatfare and Cheesefare Sundays, then Clean Monday

March 03, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The Lenten season begins for hundreds of millions of Eastern Christians, also known as Orthodox Christians, through a series of traditional steps to prepare for this Great Fast …

  • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23: Meatfare Sunday or Sunday of the Last Judgment. Preparing for the “Great Fast” of Lent, this is the last day that meat can be eaten until Pascha (Easter on April 20 this year)—but dairy products still are allowed for another week.
  • SUNDAY, MARCH 2: Cheesefare Sunday or Forgiveness Sunday. This is the last day that dairy products can be consumed until Pascha. The spiritual focus of this Sunday liturgy is on “forgiveness,” an appropriate theme to remember as these Christians enter this long period of prayer and reflection.
  • MONDAY, MARCH 3: Clean Monday is the beginning of the “Great Fast” of Lent. Let the kites fly! And—read further to learn about Lagana, a seasonal bread known throughout Greece as the taste of Clean Monday.
  • EAST & WEST and the unity of Easter: Western Christians begin their Lenten season this year with Ash Wednesday on March 5. In this year (2014), the celebration of Easter—or Pascha in Orthodox terms—is shared by the world’s 2-billion Christians, East and West. But the centuries-old East-and-West differences in calculating Easter’s date won’t unify the Christian world again until Easter 2017—and then Easter 2025 and 2028.

Prayerful Attention to Tradition: To many Americans, this Great Fast may sound extreme. Another way to think about it, though, is as a healthy season of Mediterranean eating. Whole grains and vegetables dominate in recipes associated with Great Lent. Of course, some families from an Orthodox background skip the fasting rules—just as many Western Christians overlook their own far-less-restrictive fasting traditions. But, observant Orthodox families around the world do change their eating habits, each year, in the weeks leading to Pascha.

During the fast, Eastern Christians avoid: meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, wine and oil. There are traditional exceptions within the Orthodox calendar. Wine and oil are permitted on all Sundays during this period, for example. And an ancient tradition—the feast of the Annunciation—is considered so sacred that it always falls on March 25, even during Great Lent. That feast recalls Mary receiving news that she would be the mother of Jesus, nine months later. Thus, on Tuesday March 25, this year—fish, wine and oil are permitted for the feast.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

HOW DO WE KEEP TRACK? Here at ReadTheSpirit online magazine, how do we cover this complex season? Well, thanks to longtime reader David Adrian, each year, we receive the kind of Orthodox wall calendar that many congregations provide to their faithful. That’s one way.

The other is via smartphone apps. Our favorite is the Greek Orthodox Calendar app, developed by Tsolias Software. The app shows us each day’s spiritual resources at a glance, including colorful little icons of the food groups permitted that day. (There are lots of fasting days in the Orthodox calendar, each year, and the app keeps track of all the rules.) We also have heard strong reader recommendations of the apps developed in cooperation with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. And, if you want a “free” app, we’ve heard that the Orthodox Calendar by David Ledselidze is pretty useful, as well. Plus, Ledselidze’s app has more resources of special interest to Russian Orthodox men and women.

WHY KITES?

Considering the strict nature of this fast—the cheery celebration of Clean Monday may seem jarring. Congregations are reminded, however, that it is important to remain outwardly pleasant during the fasting period. The passage of Matthew 6, verses 14-21, is read to drive home this spiritual lesson. It says, in part: “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting.”

The most common Clean Monday vista in Greece is a blue sky full of colorful kites. Families pack up traditional Lenten foods for a picnic. It’s a national holiday, so most workers and students have the day free.

TASTE CLEAN MONDAY: LAGANA

The traditional Greek Orthodox taste of Clean Monday is a sesame-topped bread called Lagana—usually made long and fairly flat, and ideally a very tasty bread. It’s also true that some home cooks produce something more akin to a giant, crunchy breadstick—but, if prepared properly, this is a delicious bread.

Want a recipe that’s likely to produce the tastier variety? There are many online, but we especially like this photo-illustrated, step-by-step recipe from The Greek Vegan. Beyond the helpful photos, here’s another reason we like this particular website’s approach to the recipe: These days, a lot of online recipes wink at the restrictions of the Great Fast and include oil in the ingredients. The Greek Vegan recognizes that this is a serious issue for many Christians and explains how to make this bread—in the traditional oil-free way.

THE STORY OF THE PRETZEL

Long associated with the Lenten season, the Pretzel stretches back more than a millennia. Today, columnist Suzy Farbman tells the … twisted history of this popular treat.

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

Epiphany/Theophany: Western, Eastern Christians hail manifestation of the Son

January 06, 2014 by Leave a Comment

MONDAY, JANUARY 6: Once eclipsing Christmas, millions of Christians today celebrate Epiphany, or Theophany. Both terms are Greek in origin: the first, meaning “manifestation,” and the second, “vision of God.” For Western Christians, Epiphany focuses on the visitation of Magi; in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Theophany highlights the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. Across Christianity, today’s celebration realizes the revelation of God in Jesus.

WESTERN CHRISTIANITY:
MAGI, GIFTS AND THE ‘STAR OF BETHLEHEM’

In many Catholic homes—and Italian Catholic homes, in particular—children are told that the Magi “visit” their home on Twelfth Night, leaving behind small gifts. Traditionally, the Three Kings or Three Wise Men are not placed near the crèche, or manger, until Twelfth Night or Epiphany, and gold candles and deep purple cloth adorn the scene.

Did you know? The gifts of the Magi bear symbolism: Gold is a sign of kingship, frankincense is a sign of a deity and myrrh is a sign of the death of Jesus.

The astrological event behind a famed Star of Bethlehem has been highly debated throughout history: St. Ignatius of Antioch (CE 50-100) insisted it was a miraculous event, such as the pillar of fire in Numbers 13:21. Others believe it was a comet or a conjunction of planets, and St. Augustine (b. 354 CE) held it as a natural occurrence.

EASTERN CHRISTIANITY:
BLESSING OF THE WATERS

The third greatest feast of liturgical year, Theophany is a Trinitarian feast: or, in other words, a celebration of the times when all three persons of the Trinity manifested themselves, simultaneously, to humanity. The Forefeast of Theophany began Jan. 1; an eight-day Afterfeast follows the holiday. Russian Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar mark Theophany on the Gregorian Jan. 19, while Greek Orthodox Christians observe Theophany today. (Learn more from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.)

Perhaps the most notable element of Theophany services is the Great Blessing of the Waters, for which the clergy and laypeople form a procession (with the cross) to the nearest body of water. The priest blesses the waters and, in some practices, throws the cross into the water. Laypersons often jump into the water in a competition to retrieve the cross, and the winner receives a special blessing. Other laypersons gather the blessed water in containers, for drinking and sprinkling around the home.

EPIPHANY AND THEOPHANY
AROUND THE WORLD

The term “theophany” is used in almost every major world religion, as the manifestation of a deity to a worshipper. In Christianity, Epiphany / Theophany has been fixed on Jan. 6 from the earliest centuries.

Did you know? In Poland, Communists banned the celebration of Epiphany; it was reinstated in 2011 with the revolutions that swept eastern Europe.

In Argentina, the faithful dine on a ring-shaped Epiphany cake on Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings), and put away Christmas decorations; the French eat a galette des Rois (pastry filled with almond cream) with a bean hidden inside; in Mexico, the Magi are added to the nativity scene on Epiphany Eve. (The UK’s The Telegraph has a photo slideshow of events worldwide.) Across Bulgaria, hundreds plunge into icy waters to retrieve a cast cross and perform a lengthy “men’s dance”;in Kosovo, Serbs chopp Oak branches to decorate their homes; in Louisiana and other regions of the U.S., Epiphany ushers in Carnival season. (USA Today reported, in 2012.)

RECIPES AND ACTIVITIES

Bake Epiphany Bread and King’s Cake, with recipes at Catholic Culture.

Revive the prayerful chalk-and-water custom of Epiphany, with instructions at Catholic Culture.

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

Nativity Fast: Orthodox Christians begin the 40-day fast for Christ’s birth

November 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15: Christmas preparations may not be in full swing everywhere, but Orthodox Christians are beginning the Nativity Fast.

Observed annually from November 15 until December 24, Orthodox Christians are encouraged to regard this fast as a joyous period. By placing emphasis on the spiritual, adherents are encouraged to release worldly desires and dependence on material possessions.  The most successful fasting includes prayer and almsgiving, and is performed by those who are physically able. Observant families give up meat, dairy, fish, wine and oil—all in anticipation of the birth of Jesus. (Occasional permissions are granted for wine, oil and fish throughout the fasting period. The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America has guidelines for the fast.)

NATIVITY FAST: FEAST DAYS AND PARAMONY

Throughout the Nativity Fast, several key figures are highlighted with feast days—in particular, the prophets who Eastern Christians believe laid the groundwork for the Incarnation: Obadiah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Daniel and the Three Holy Youths. Sundays leading up to Nativity also bring attention to ancestors of the Church and righteous men and women who pleased God.

The Forefeast of the Nativity begins December 20, with the chanting of Nativity hymns every day until the Eve of the Nativity—or, Paramony. On Paramony—called Christmas Eve in the Western Christian Church—no solid food is partaken until the first star is seen in the evening sky. (Wikipedia has details.) The fast is joyously broken, and while many head to a traditional All-Night Vigil, others attend the Divine Liturgy for the Nativity of Christ on Christmas morning.

On December 25, the Feast of the Nativity, fasting is forbidden; a fast-free period, or Afterfeast, lasts through January 4.

IN THE NEWS:
POPE FRANCIS REVIVES EAST-WEST HOPES

Pope Francis is set to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 25 for a meeting that many hope will lead to a smoothing over of relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin reached out, as well, to Francis’s two predecessors as pontiff.

Reuters is the main wire service covering the news, reporting in part:

“Russian-Vatican relations have been fraught since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, with Moscow accusing the Roman Catholic Church of trying to poach believers from the Russian Orthodox Church, a charge the Vatican denies. But Putin is the first Kremlin leader since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution to publicly profess religious faith—to the Orthodox church—and has several times advocated ending the long feud between the two major Christian churches.”

And: “There have been signs of a general warming between the western and eastern branches of Christianity. On March 20, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew became the first worldwide spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians to attend a papal inaugural Mass since the Great Schism split western and eastern Christianity in 1054.”

Note: Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar will begin the Nativity Fast on the Gregorian November 28.