Easter in

Ukraine
Easter is the feast of Christ’s
resurrection, which in its
observance combines both
pagan and Christian elements.
Easter (in Ukrainian: ‘Velykden’
or ‘Paskha’) is preceded by
seven weeks of Lent and
celebrated on each first week
after vernal equinox and full
moon. It is the most cheerful
holiday for orthodox believers.

In Ukraine Easter is called

Velykden (The Great Day). In
Ukraine Easter has been
celebrated over a long period of
history and has had many rich
folk traditions.

Ukrainian Easter is a historical combination of heathen and Christian

traditions. Velykden was celebrated thousands of years ago as the
victory of the Light over the Dark, Day over Night, Spring over Winter.
The Resurrection was celebrated only from 988 when Kiev Rus was
baptized. For some time these two systems coexisted, for some time it
was forbidden for people to follow heathen traditions, but later the
church decided to use in its Easter ceremony the heathen customs like
painting eggs and backing Easter cake.

The last Sunday before Easter is called Willow Sunday (Verbna nedilia).
On this day pussy-willow branches are blessed in the church.

The week before Easter, the Great (Velykyi) Week (Holy Week), is called
the White (Bilyi) or Pure (Chystyi) Week. During this time an effort is
made to finish all field work before Thursday, since from Thursday on
work is forbidden. Pure (Maundy) Thursday is connected with ritual of
clarification by water.

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On Passion (Strasna) Friday—Good Friday—no work is done. In some
localities, the Holy Shroud (plashchanytsia) is carried solemnly three
times around the church and, after appropriate services, laid out for
public veneration.

Saturday evening people gather in the church for the Easter vigil till the
very morning when priests bless the food believers brought. After that
people go home to celebrate Easter with their families. If they meet
other people on the way they say: “Christ is risen!” and these people
should reply “Risen indeed”. All the people exchange Easter greetings
and give each other painted eggs (krashanky).

Easter cake (‘Kulich’) and painted eggs (‘Krashanki’) are the symbols of
Ukrainian Easter and obligatory food on the table this day. Kulich is
baked from yeast dough in the form of cylinder. Krashanka is a boiled
and painted egg. On this Day Ukrainian kids play their favorite Easter
game: knocking the eggs. If you knock somebody’s egg and you egg is
not broken than you are the winner.

The krashanky and pysanky (Easter eggs) are an old pre-Christian

element and have an important role in the Easter rites. On this day they
are given as gifts or exchanged. There is also the rite of sprinkling with
water, which is still carried on in Western Ukraine on the next day afrer
Easter (Wet Monday, Oblyvanyi ponedilok). It is practiced by young
people, the boys usually splashing the girls with water.

During the Easter season in Ukraine the cult of the dead is observed. The
dead are remembered
during the whole
week after Easter,
especially on the first
Sunday following
Easter Sunday. People
gather in the
cemeteries, bringing
with them a dish
containing some food
and wine, which they
consume, leaving the
rest at the graves.

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