If you are like me this year, you are trying to get a jump on your Easter decorations (I was woefully prepared last year). I made this great subway art you can print and frame for a quick and beautiful Pascha (Easter) decoration! This is not only a wonderful celebration, it is a great way to talk about different holiday traditions across the world.
Pascha, or Easter Sunday for the Orthodox, is a fabulous celebration in our church (my husband and I are Orthodox Christians, and we attend a Greek Orthodox Church). Saturday night we host a candlelight Resurrection midnight service that is truly moving, and I am pretty sad I won't be attending this year as Little Man is just too little to tolerate a church service from 11pm-3am- and considering I could be in labor at any time, it probably isn't great timing! Sometime after midnight, our candles are lit, the church bells ring, and the whole church erupts into song- it's incredibly beautiful and moving.
After the service, the Lenten fast is over- and a bunch of hungry worshipers head to the fellowship hall (or straight home) to feast on the dairy and meat products they have abstained from for the last 40 days (I have had a pass the last two years from full fasting as I was pregnant and nursing). Everyone is joyous- they kiss each others cheeks, share wine and food, and loudly proclaim "Christ is Risen!" to which the person they are greeting will reply "Truly He is Risen!" (in the original greek: "Khristós Anésti!" "Alithós Anésti!")
The Orthodox church isn't only Greek- and neither is this wonderful proclamation. Until Pentecost, the joyous celebration continues in every language. As a newcomer to the Orthodox festivities, I find this part very challenging- because I don't speak anything but English (and Spanglish). I used a list I found online to create this great subway art of numerous translations of "Christ is Risen!" including Russian, Croatian, Georgian, Celtic, Turkish, Coptic, Spanish, French... and many more. These are spelled in the most phonetic way possible for many of the languages, so you might know of different ways to spell them (for instance the Greek could also be "Christos Anesti").
Feel free to download this and print it for your home this Easter/ Pascha! You can download directly from my Google Docs site.
Courtney O'Dell
>I grew up Catholic, which is both very similar and sometimes very different than Orthodox! Our church holds 11 services for Holy Week alone (some do more than that!)- it is a definite test of faith and preparation before Sunday! We also hold an Agape (love) vespers on Sunday afternoon which is a bit of a quicker service, and then host a big BBQ with greek dancing, lambs roasting on a spit, and a ton of food. It is a huge celebration after a very somber 40 days.
Kristina
>Sounds like a beautiful way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! As a conservative Lutheran, we celebrate Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but then we don't have anything until the Sunrise service early on Sunday morning, which we love to go to (except the getting up early part). 🙂 He is risen indeed, hallelujah! Happy Easter!