Easter

By far the most important holiday in the Russian Orthodox Church is Easter, a time of great feasting and rejoicing, falling as it does after the six-week Lenten fast, when no meat or dairy products are allowed—a considerable deprivation during a season when vegetables are often scarce. During the week preceding Easter, known as Passion Week (strastnaya nedelya), the foods for the feast are prepared. One can only imagine the extremes of temptation these holiday cooks are subjected to, preparing delicacies from the finest available ingredients after six long weeks of denial. Finally, on Easter Eve, the table is set with an abundant spread, featuring the traditional paskha, kulich and decorated eggs. This custom of decorating eggs can be traced back to the pagan spring festivals, when eggs were painted with bright colors to symbolize the blossoming of the plant world. Today egg painting is considered an art form, especially in Ukraine, where the intricate designs are applied by a complex process of dipping in beeswax and dye baths. These spectacular Ukrainian eggs are known as pysanky.