Palm Sunday or Cvetnica
(Flower Day) and the faithful are
given a dispensation and allowed
to eat fish.
Since palms aren't readily
available, pussy willows are taken
to church to be blessed.
The branches are
often fashioned
into crowns by
young girls and
worn to church
until they
are thrown in a
river, hopefully
to be caught by
their future husband
on the other side.
T
he last Thursday before Easter is the
day when eggs are painted and
Easter breads are baked.
I
n our lands, religious feasts
have never fully replaced the
colourful
pagan rituals for welcoming
spring.
Some of them have come down
to us in all of their authenticity, but most have been
”Christianized” without altering
their meaning.
The biggest feast in Christian
Orthodoxy,
Easter invariably brings
with it the tradition
of painting eggs.
The first egg is always painted red to
symbolize the blood of Christ. With the first red
egg women touch children’s forehead and
make a cross for luck.This egg should be put
aside-either to be buried in the fields to ensure
fertility or kept in the home to bring good
luck. Bulgarians believe the egg must be “full”
so it may bring a full home, full barns, many
offspring in the family.
The Easter bread(“kozunak”) in different parts of Bulgaria can be in
different shapes.
They can be big or small and they are also decorated in different
ways.Easter breads may be specially decorated with one or more
of coloured eggs.
( so called kuklichki)
ON THE HOLY FRIDAY NOBODY WORKS. PEOPLE GO TO CHURCH WHERE THEY PASS
UNDER THE SHROUD FOR FORGIVENESS OF THEIR SINS.
THIS IS THE DAY OF STRONG LENT. SOME PEOPLE DON’T EAT AND DRINK ALL DAY.
Easter is characterized with certain food and rituals.
These are sweet
bread and dyed eggs. Kozunak, the prominent traditional
symbol -
braided sweet bread, symbolizing the body of Christ, is a
necessary
item of the Easter table everywhere. As the Bulgarian days
implies”Velikden”(Great Day),Easter is one of the most
significant
holidays in the Bulgarian calendar started with St.Lazar’s
day, the
holy weeks and leeds up to the Great Day.
Holy Saturday services begin at 11p.m. Families and friends attend church together, carrying their
coloured eggs and Easter bread with them. When the clock strikes midnight, the church bell
begins to ring, the priest proclaims three times
”Hristos Voskrese”(Christ Has Risen) and replies ”Voistina
Voskrese”(Indeed He Has Risen). The priest and faithful then walk around the
church three times with lit candle in hand.
The belief is if ne has been a good Christian, his candle will not go out no matter
how strong the wind is, because he has no sins. After a special sequence of
services, the clergy blesses the breads and eggs brought by people and they return with them
to
their homes.
The Bulgarian good luck crack is a unique Easter tradition in Bulgaria.
The ritual tapping the eggs takes place just before the Easter lunch begins.
Each person will select his or her egg. The people in turn exchange the
Easter greeting ”Christ has risen”/”Indeed He has risen” three time before
tapping their eggs against the eggs of others. The person who ends up with
the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck. The winning
egg is kept until next Easter and is a sign of good luck.
On Easter Sunday the married couples traditionally visit the best man at
their wedding and have roast lamb at lunch.
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