On Sunday, April 24 people around the world will celebrate Orthodox Easter, including in countries such as: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lebanon, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. Orthodox Easter is celebrated later than most of the Western world, in keeping with the Eastern Christian church’s calendar. The holiday is celebrated locally and by those in our SCU community, as well. 

This year, our thoughts are with Ukrainians celebrating Orthodox Easter.  The decorated eggs in the photo are Ukrainian pysanka. Creating pysanka includes complex, traditional designs symbolizing the sun, stars, plants, animals and elements of nature. Makers work to achieve clean, intricate patterns, and then give their handmade pysanka to friends and loved ones to represent the gift of life. You can read more about Ukrainian Orthodox Easter traditions in the link below.

The Greek Orthodox community is prevalent in Santa Clara and San Jose, in particular, and Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated by enjoying traditional foods like lamb, and attending Friday, Saturday and Sunday church services. Families dye Easter eggs red to represent the blood of Christ, and then bake them into a traditional Greek sweet bread called tsoureki. Families may play a game of cracking eggs against each other and whomever retains an uncracked egg will have a year of good luck.

Below are ways you can celebrate Orthodox Easter locally:

• Bake paska, the traditional Ukrainian Easter bread with this recipe here
• Learn more about Ukrainian Easter traditions here and here
• Learn more about Orthodox Christianity from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• San Jose - St. Basil Greek Orthdox Church services
• San Jose -  St. Nicholas Orthodox Church services
• San Francisco - St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church services

Best, 

Susan Popko
Associate Provost for International Programs

 

Is there an international holiday you would like to see featured in an upcoming newsletter? Fill out this form and let us know why it is important to you and how you will be celebrating it this year. We will give primary consideration to international holidays from countries that have not already been highlighted.