Easter/Paste Traditions

Hristos a-nviat! Adevarat a-nviat! is the special greeting we use around Easter time back in Romania. It translates to "Christ is risen! He truly is risen!" I love it! Since I joined the Church this phrase became more meaningful and "alive," something that I can contemplate on every day of the year and not only at Easter.

Some of the beautiful Easter traditions I always looked forward growing up in Romania where coloring/dying eggs (dark red, blue, and green hues), cooking the traditional cozonac, pasca, drob, and friptura de miel. Yummy! And although the Easter dinner festivities were a big part of the deal, going to church, to the Orthodox Easter mass was just as exiciting. Another cool thing I used to do with my maternal grandmother was to go church on Good Friday and do what is called "trec pe sub masa" explained here. I have sweet vivid memories of Easter growing up. Thanks to my wonderful husband who is very encouraging of keeping family traditions and holidays, we were able to retain and practice many of these traditions (especially the ones related to food!!!!!) over the years. I made cozonac from scratch the first Easter we were married and it was the best I ever made, unfortunately I do not have a digital picture of it so I can "prove" it! Oh and before I forgot after we colored the eggs we crack them stirring up quite a competition, who's egg reigns supreme, that is who's egg survives without a crack. We go around and "knock/crack" eggs with each other saying the "Lord is Risen/He truly is Risen" greeting.

I do love the new traditions we've made here in US. One in particular which is so much more fun when you have children, the famous Easter Egg hunt. This year we started early as one of Ella's friends at pre-k had a birthday about a week ago and one of the high-lights of her birthday party at school was the Easter Egg Hunt and the visit from the Easter Bunny. I can still hear her saying "Mommy, the Easter Bunny is REAL!" Glad that was confirmed to her.

Back to Easters past, I thought it'd be fun to remember how we celebrated it. Since Ella was allergic to eggs, we didn't dye eggs (this year though we will as she can enjoy them too.) We used pretty plastic eggs instead to decorate the table. And both years we were fortunate to spend Easter with our families.

2008

2009

Happy Easter Everyone!