The Easter Holiday in Russia is a great festival and I really enjoy the mixture of both the Eastern customs and familiar symbolism. It is the biggest holiday in the Russian Orthodox calendar, is equally important both for devout Christians and for others who simply enjoy the history of their country. This year, Easter fell one week after back home in Scotland and we celebrated with a family breakfast.
Everywhere, you will see the Cyrillic letters 'ХВ', which stands for 'Христос Воскрес' and literally translates as 'Christ is risen'. It is typical to respond to this phrase with 'Воистину Воскрес' which means, 'He has truly risen'. As with back home, Easter is celebrated with sweet foods. The most elaborate is the kulich, a rich cake made with small pieces of fruit. Eggs are also important to Orthodox Easter, but, unlike chocolate eggs, Russian's choose to colour farmed eggs. Eggs are dyed different colours, including red to represent the blood of Christ, and children play games with eggs. It is Easter traditions to take both of these items to church the day before Easter to be blessed.
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the largest Orthodox church in the world.
St. Basil's Cathedral in the famous Red Square.
