Happy Easter
Traditional Orthodox Greetings
English: Christ is Risen
Response: Indeed He is Risen
Russian: Xris-to Vosk-rese
Response: Vo isti-nu Vosk-rese
Greek: Xris-tos Anes-ti
Response: Ali-thos-anes-ti
Yupik Eskimo: Xris-tusaq Ung-Uixtuq
Response: Iluumun Ung-uixtuq
Athabascan: Xristosi Banuytashtch'ey
Response: Gheli Banuytashtch'ey
The red dye on the outside represents the Blood of Christ. The
yolk represents the new life given to us after Christ rose from
the dead. In Kenai, the Priest hands an egg and an icon to each
parishioner, after the Pascha service.
We celebrate Easter according to the Julian Calendar. In 1999, Easter is exactly one week after American Easter. We are full of traditions and I wish to share a few recipes and one of our elder's stories about "Pascha" (Easter). The baking and sharing of Easter Bread is very important and traditional to all Russian Orthodox people. A woman's culinary arts are tested by how well she makes her Kulich. It is a custom brought from Russian and passed down for many generations. The main dessert for Easter is called Pashka. It is traditionally served with Kulich. It is not traditional for Ninilchik people to serve it, but the tradition of marking Easter Bread with the letters XB comes from the mold for creating Pashka. The molds will either have XB or a Russian Cross stamped in them. My mother used to write INRI or XB with frosting on her bread and add a Russian Cross. I imagine this was the closest Ninilchik could come to following the old Traditions.
Kulich
(Best Recipe)Kulich
(more old fashioned)Notice how eggs were dyed in the following story.
Pascha (Easter)
Written by Elder: Eleanor Cooper
1925-1998
We usually didn't have a priest so a reader would hold a midnight church service for us. We had one good outfit of clothes and special hair ribbons to wear to this service. Our good clothes were kept stored in a steamer trunk and only taken out for special church holidays. We would go to the midnight service and have Easter Bread (Kulich) blessed. We would take red and green eggs. The eggs were dyed by soaking red and green crepe paper in water. After the service we would exchange eggs with people and get a kiss. First we would say, " Christ is Risen" in Russian and the other person would say, "Indeed he is Risen" in Russian. Then we would kiss one cheek and the other cheek and then on the lips. Sometimes times young men would take an egg to a girl's home when no one was looking he would give her an egg and get a kiss. This was always away from the church and from where people would be looking so no one would know. To this day people who are Orthodox still say Christ is risen and exchange eggs. Kulich could be made before Easter but we were not allowed to eat it. It had eggs, milk and butter which was not allowed during lent. Easter Bread could only be eaten for forty days after Easter. We could not have it any other time of the year. It is still a custom today. I think we probably had a chunk of moose, Easter Bread and eggs for Easter dinner. We used to save eggs and things for a long time for making things for Easter. When I was young they told me that if the Easter Bread had a hole in the center after you baked it someone was going to die.
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