Two Easters

Today is Easter Sunday in both the Gregorian calendar that is commonly used as the international standard and the Julian calendar used by Christian Orthodox churches.  In our family, we used to celebrate both Easters.  Dad was raised Protestant and Mom was raised Russian Orthodox. All of us children were baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church in South Canaan, PA - Saint Tikhons (http://www.sttikhonsmonastery.org/).    I started to write more about St Tikhons, but that will lead me into my grandparents story so I will save that for another post.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, growing up we attended Reed Memorial United Presbyterian Church in Lyndhurst. However, on Orthodox Easter, we were usually in Pennsylvania on my uncle's farm (which was also the farm my mother grew up on).  For that weekend we followed the Russian Orthodox customs.  Saturday was supposed to be a day of fasting, although they were not strict with that for children.   We would fill a basket with all the food we would eat on Easter Sunday because there would be no work on that day.   Aunt Mary would make a ham, kielbasa, and a special Easter bread (paska).  There would be dyed eggs, butter, salt, and horseradish in the basket too, as well as some Easter candy.   I don't know what else.  All the Russian families brought these baskets of food to the church hall that night to be blessed. 

Church services began about 11PM Saturday night and went until sunrise.  We would get a few hours sleep before one of the adults would wake us to get dressed for church.  We didn't always go right at the beginning of the service, but always stayed for the end.  At the beginning there was a candle lit procession around the church.  The service was conducted in Russian and there was lots of incense.  As in most early European churches, there were only a few chairs around the sides for the elderly or infirm.  Most people had to stand and kneel during the service.   I remember always standing in the back by the doors so I could go out for air occasionally.  








At  the end of the mass, everyone would go to the community center building across from the church where all the baskets would be set out on long tables.  The lights would be out and each family would light a candle in their basket.   The Bishop would come in and bless all the food, chanting in Russian.  One year I got a Russian cross necklace.  I don't remember where I got it but I hung it from our family's basket.  The Bishop noticed and sent some extra holy water towards the cross. I still have that blessed cross.

We spent the other, common Easter much the same as most families.  We attended the Presbyterian church services in our new Easter clothes and came home to Easter baskets filled with colored eggs and candy.   Somehow, as a child, the Russian Easter always felt closer to God and the common Easter closer to the Easter bunny.  I'm sure that the Presbyterian minister must have preached about the meaning of Easter, but much of that is lost on a child.  The difference between Easter and every other Sunday was only in the new clothes, hat, and Easter basket waiting at home.  The Orthodox church and the Catholic church I now attend have much more special ceremony around Easter to emphasize the significance of the day.  I think the symbolism in the church service is important to our understanding of the true meaning of Easter and I am glad to have had the opportunity to experience Russian Orthodox Easter.  

As an adult, I brought my mother to the Easter midnight mass one year when she & Dad lived in Prompton.  She was very happy to be able to go and to have someone to go with.  I think it may have been the last time she went to the Russian Easter mass.