The date
of Easter also depends on the full moon calendar (first Sunday after the full
moon). Sometimes Belarusian Catholics and Orthodox celebrate on the same day,
sometimes on two different. This year Catholic Easter is on the 21rst of April,
the Orthodox Easter is a week later, on the 28th.
The Great
day is always preceded by a ‘clean week’. This is the week of spiritual
preparations, cleaning and cooking. It officially starts on a previous Sunday,
which is called Palm Sunday. Since in Belarus palms don’t grow, the holiday is
called after a willow tree. After blessing willow catkins twigs in church
churchgoers lash each wishing good health with the words: “willow lashes, not
me”. On clean Monday Belarusians took care of their house exteriors
and gardens. Clean Tuesday was reserved for the inside housework
—they were scrubbing, sweeping and cleaning up. Wednesday was devoted to
cleaning wooden tools, especially those used for making ‘holy’ bread. On Clean
Thursday, people tried to finish all the chores and wash up before dawn to
be healthy and clean all year. Our ancestors believed that morning bathing cleansed
from all the sins. In former times, they plunged into rivers and lakes, no
matter how cold it was outside. On Friday, one shouldn’t work,
drink alcohol or eat anything besides bread and water. It was a day of
mourning, remembrance of the Passion of Christ, his procession to Calvary,
crucifixion and death on the cross. These days most city dwellers don’t know
the details and nuances of the holiday. Some follow their inner calendar and
rituals intuitively, others just wait for another weekend. For believers, the
whole week is a preparation for Christ’s resurrection and a spiritual way to be
cleansed of their sins. Saturday was a day of cooking. Every family boiled and
painted eggs, the symbol of fertility and Easter holiday. They were usually
painted with onion shells and decorated with ornaments.
In
traditional stoves, women cooked bread called ‘vielikodnyja bulki’ (Easter
buns) or ‘pirahi’. They were white, flavorless, crispy and with or without
raisins. Buns, eggs and other food were taken to church for blessing on
beautifully decorated towels. Religious people went to churches, where
according to the orthodox traditions, there was an all-night mass commemorating
Jesus’s death on the cross. Before going to sleep, a light in one of the rooms
was left burning to symbolize being vigil and watchful. As at present, some
might limit their cooking to boiled eggs. While some use onion shells, beet,
turmerich and other natural colours, othes paint their eggs with
commercial substitutes. Easter buns can also be bought at any store.
Sundays breakfast
(‘vielikodnaje razhaviennie’ literally means getting oneself stuffed) was a
culmination and actual celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The feast started
with boiled eggs and other blessed foods, including meat and salt, which were
now allowed after a long period of fasting. Children played egg-games, one of them is
‘bitki’. They hit each other’s egg from both sides, the one that remained
untouched was a winner and its owner took the loser’s egg. Or they rolled eggs
from a stilted piece of bark, the egg that hit those at the bottom allowed the
lucky winner to grab the touched ones. One of the most interesting customs
related to the Easter cycle was ‘Valačobnictva’ usually carried out by men. Valačobniki were a group of people roaming
from hut to hut, singing songs and playing traditional instruments, such as a
duda (Belarusian bagpipe) and violin. This ritual united the community together
and was a nice way of wishing a host’s family good luck. To thank the guests the family gave them a few
Easter eggs, Easter bread, homemade sausages, moonshine or a little
money.
Monday was
a forefather’s day dedicated to the commemoration of the deceased ancestors.
For some
time people greeted each other with the words “Christ’s resurrected”, and
saying “Indeed resurrected” in reply.
The Great
Day and Great Week symbolized the beginning of a traditional cycle before the
Christian calendar was adopted. ’Vialikdzień’ marked the beginning of field
works and spring holidays, such as ‘radunica’ (spring version of All Saints’
Day) and the pagan holiday of Jurja (Slavic equivalent of Saint George’s Day). Gregorian
calendar (new style) was designed in 1582 to change the date of Easter, which
fell further away from the spring equinox with each year. The change has never
been accepted by most Orthodox churches.
