Easter is one of the holiest and most beautiful celebrations in the Orthodox Christian Church. Everybody loves Easter! Ancient and very meaningful traditions are still kept in Bulgaria, Greece and Russia.

The Sunday before Easter Sunday (Palm Sunday) is called Vrubnitza (Willows Day) or Tzvetnitza (Flowers Day). Everyone goes to church and takes home a willow branch which has been blessed. Then a small wreath is made and hung on the icon of the Holy Mother at home. All of the traditions lead to the simple belief that as Jesus brought the dead St. Lazarus back to life, these branches will keep all illnesses away. St. Lazarus’ day (the day before) is celebrated by a colourful tradition in Bulgaria, when young girls who have not yet married go from home to home singing and dancing and wishing people good health and happiness. Then they are given eggs as a token of gratefulness - those eggs are collected and later, will be painted for Easter.

Tradition says that the eggs are to be painted on Holy Thursday before the sun sets. Usually the eldest woman in the household paints the first egg, which is always red. This symbolizes

the event when Jesus miraculously rose after being crucified. People didn’t believe this, but Mary Magdalene  said that she saw it, and if it is  true, the egg she held would turn red as Jesus’ blood. This first egg is always put aside and kept at home to bring good luck. The painted eggs are not to be eaten until Easter Sunday, when the ritual of cracking eggs takes place. Eggs are passed from hand to hand with the greeting: “Christ has risen!”, the answer to which is :”Indeed He has risen!”

The Easter bread is a worldwide Orthodox tradition as well. These loaves can be big or small and are decorated. The bread is called "kozunak". One of these loaves of Easter bread may be specially decorated with one or more (but always an odd number) of the red-coloured eggs. The taste of the Bulgarian Kozunak resembles the spicy fragrance of hot-cross buns in England, brioche in France, pannetoni in Italy, babka in Poland.

The loaves of bread and coloured eggs are taken to church on Saturday night, when the bells start ringing exactly at midnight, calling all the Orthodox Christians to come to church and worship. Then the next day, roast lamb and green salad is the traditional lunch for Easter Sunday.

Finally, this is my daughter Elena proudly showing off her last Easter egg creations!