Easter (redirected from PÜskdagen)

Easter [A.S. Eastre, name of a spring goddess], chief Christian feast, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. In the West, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the full moon next after the vernal equinox (see calendar); thus, it falls between Mar. 22 and Apr. 25. The Orthodox Eastern Church calculates Easter somewhat differently, so that the Orthodox Easter usually comes several weeks after that of the West. Many dates of the Christian calendar are dependent on Easter. For most Christians there is a preparatory period of penitence, beginning (in the West) with Septuagesima Sunday, 17 days before Lent, and ending in Holy Week. With Easter begins the paschal season, liturgically marked with rejoicing; Alleluia is often said, and the paschal candle is set up. The five Sundays of this time begin with Low Sunday. They are followed by Ascension Day (Thursday; see under Ascension) and, 10 days later, by Pentecost. The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. Until Advent the weeks are counted from Pentecost or Trinity. A feature of Roman Catholic life is the Easter duty, by which every member is required to receive communion sometime between Ash Wednesday and Trinity Sunday. Painting and rolling eggs and wearing new clothes are Easter customs; there is no development of social festivities comparable with those of Christmas.

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Easter

Major festival of the Christian church year, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion. In Western churches it falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, depending on the date of the first full moon after the spring equinox. This time span was fixed after the Council of Nicaea (AD 325). In the Eastern Orthodox calendar, which uses a different calculation, it often falls later. A joyful festival and a time of redemption, Easter brings an end to the long period of penance that constitutes Lent. The word is sometimes said to have been derived from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring, but other origins of the term more closely associated with Christian traditions have been proposed. Easter has acquired a number of religious and popular customs. The Easter worship service is one of the high points of the Christian calendar, and since the late 2nd century Easter has also been a time for baptism. The painting of eggs and tales of a rabbit who decorates and hides eggs are among the folk customs associated with the holiday.

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Easter

the most important festival of the Christian Church, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ: falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox

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Easter

basket

filled with treats, representative of feast on Easter Sunday. [Folklore: Misc.]

bonnet

usually worn along with new clothes on Easter Sunday. (“Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet.”) [Christian Tradition: Misc.; Am. Music: Irving Berlin, “Easter Parade”]

bunny

delivers chocolates, etc., to children. [Western Folklore: Jobes, 487]

daisy

a flower traditionally displayed in homes during Easter season. [Christian Tradition: Jobes, 487]

egg

colored eggs as symbol of new life, adopted to reflect Resurrection. [Christian Tradition: Brewer Dictionary, 361]

jelly beans

traditional treat for children on Easter Sunday; symbolize eggs. [Pop. Culture: Misc.]

parade

of finery; most notable ones in New York and Atlantic City on Easter Sunday. [Pop. Culture: Misc.]

purple and yellow

traditional colors seen in churches during Easter season. [Christian Color Symbolism: Jobes, 487]

spring flowers

a token of Christ’s resurrection. [Christian Tradition: Jobes, 487]

white lily

symbol of Resurrection. [Christian Tradition: Jobes, 487]

white and green

signifies color of Easter holidays. [Christian Color Symbolism: Jobes, 487]

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Easter

Between March 22 and April 25 in the West and between April 4 and May 8 in the East; first Sunday after the first full moon on or following the vernal equinox

Easter is the principal feast of the Christian year, despite the popularity and commercialization that surrounds Christmas. According to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene came to the cave where Jesus had been buried and found the tomb empty. An angel of the Lord told her that Jesus had risen. The anniversary of his resurrection from the dead is joyfully celebrated by Christians every year with special services, music, candlelight, flowers, and the ringing of church bells that had remained silent during Lent.
For Greek Orthodox Christians, the sorrow of Good Friday lifts with the service of the Holy Resurrection on Saturday night in a dimly lit church. At midnight, all lights are extinguished, the door to the altar opens and the priest, holding a lighted candle, appears and proclaims that Christ is risen. The congregants light their candles from the priest's, bells ring, people turn to each other and say, Christos Anesti, "Christ is risen," and receive the reply, Alithos Anesti, "He is risen indeed."
Easter is a movable holiday whose day of observation has for centuries been painstakingly calculated. This is because its day of observance is determined initially by the lunar calendar, like Passover, but then must be put into terms of the solar calendar. The Council of Nicea in 325 c.e. set the formula for calculating the date of Easter still in use today. After many centuries of controversy among Christians, Western Christendom settled on the use of the Gregorian calendar (Eastern Christians use the Julian calendar to determine Easter), decreeing that Easter shall be celebrated on the Sunday after the full moon on or following the Vernal Equinox. If the full moon is on a Sunday, Easter is held the next Sunday. In the East, Easter can occur between April 4 and May 8, but it must come after Passover has ended.
The name for Easter may have come from Eostre, the Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, whose feast was celebrated around this same time. There is also a Germanic goddess named Ostara who was always accompanied by a hare—possibly the ancestor of our modern Easter Bunny. The association of both the rabbit and eggs with Easter is probably the vestige of an ancient springtime fertility rite.
Although Easter has retained a greater religious significance than Christmas, many children in the United States think of it as a time to get new spring clothes, to decorate eggs, and to indulge in the chocolate and jelly beans that the Easter Bunny has left in their Easter baskets.
In Belgium, throughout Walloonia, the priest gives a number of unconsecrated priest's wafers to young children to sell to householders. The proceeds are given to the needy parish families, and the wafers are nailed over the front doors to protect the families from evil.
In Ethiopia, Easter is called Fasika and is welcomed in the capital city of Addis Ababa at dawn with a 21-gun salute.

CONTACTS:
Christian Resource Institute
4712 N. Hammond
Warr Acres, OK 73122
www.cresourcei.org
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
242 Cleveland St.
Redfern, NSW 2016 Australia
61-2-9698-5066; fax: 61-2-9698-536
www.greekorthodox.org.au
Orthodox Church in America
P.O. Box 675
Syosset, NY 11791
516-922-0550; fax: 516-922-0954
www.oca.org

SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 238
BkDays-1864, vol. I, p. 423
BkFest-1937, pp. 6, 16, 24, 30, 42, 57, 70, 87, 96, 113, 121, 133, 148, 168, 185, 211, 219, 228, 241, 249, 260, 268, 276, 287, 292, 301, 309, 317, 330, 339
DaysCustFaith-1957, pp. 108, 353
DictFolkMyth-1984, pp. 129, 181, 212, 334, 561, 628, 687, 789, 854, 947
EncyEaster-2002
EncyRel-1987, vol. 3, p. 439
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 73
FestWestEur-1958, pp. 9, 24, 35, 61, 95, 108, 126, 130, 152, 164, 213, 231
FolkAmerHol-1999, p. 167
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 224
GdUSFest-1984, p. 144
HolSymbols-2009, p. 215
OxYear-1999, pp. 621, 643, 791
RelHolCal-2004, pp. 78, 94, 111, 121
SaintFestCh-1904, p. 162

Celebrated in: Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Honduras, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine

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Easter (Bulgaria)

Between April 4 and May 8

Although midnight church services are widespread throughout Bulgaria on Velikden (The Great Day), or Vuzkresenie (Resurrection Day), the Easter service held in the cathedral in Sofia, the capital, is by far the most impressive. Just before midnight on Easter morning, the traditional hour of Christ's resurrection, a procession of church dignitaries in elaborate vestments follows the archbishop from the cathedral to Alexander Nevsky Square, which is already filled with thousands of worshippers carrying unlighted candles. As the midnight chimes peal, the archbishop blesses the people and the thousands of candles are lit. A service in the cathedral follows.
Easter celebrations in Bulgaria last a full week, known as Svetla Nedelya, or the Week of Light, because folklore has it that the sun did not set in Jerusalem for eight days after the resurrection of Christ. One tradition during this week is the national dance known as the Choro, which is performed by a circle composed of equal numbers of male and female dancers who begin with a very slow movement that gradually quickens in pace.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria
1621 22nd St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-387-0174; fax: 202-234-7973
www.bulgaria-embassy.org

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 70
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 82

Celebrated in: Bulgaria

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Easter (Chile)

Between March 22 and April 25

Holy Week or Semana Santa, the week that precedes Easter, is a very solemn period in Chile, most of whose inhabitants are Roman Catholic. It is a time to remember the death and resurrection of Christ, and the primary activity for adults is going to church to pray. Children, on the other hand, drag large dolls, who represent Judas, through the streets of their neighborhood in carts or wagons, stopping at houses to request coins. These coins represent the 30 pieces of silver given to Judas for turning Jesus over to the authorities. When the day is over, children set fire to the dolls, under their parents' supervision. On Easter Sunday itself, there are Easter egg hunts and baskets filled with chocolates.
Cuasimodo is the first Sunday following Easter. In the villages and little towns of rural central and southern Chile, religious processions take place, led by priests, who bring Holy Communion to those who are too sick or elderly to make it to church. This is a tradition that extends back more than 100 years, when many Chileans lived too far out in the country to travel to church on Cuasimodo. Because bandits were common and likely to attack the priest, he would usually be accompanied by cowboys known as huasos . Although there are no longer any bandits, huasos still like to display their horsemanship on Cuasimodo, when horse-riding contests are frequently held. Today cyclists also escort the priest.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of Chile
1732 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-785-1746; fax: 202-887-5579
www.chile-usa.org

SOURCES:
FestWrld: Chile-1998, p. 20

Celebrated in: Chile

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Easter (Cyprus)

Between April 4 and May 8

On Easter Sunday in Cyprus, fireworks are set off, ships in ports blow their whistles, and bonfires are built to burn Judas. People go home for a late dinner starting with red-dyed hard-boiled eggs and then a special soup and often cheese pie ( tiropita ). It's customary to tap the eggs against each other; whoever cracks the other's egg will have good luck in the coming year. Often there is feasting on lamb roasted on spits over open fires; other traditional foods are kokoretsi, a sausage made of lamb innards and herbs, and lambropsomo, an Easter bread with a whole red-dyed egg in the center. In the countryside, the feasting is accompanied by fairs and dancing in regional costume. Passersby are offered lamb, red eggs, and wine and are toasted with "Christos Anesti."

SOURCES:
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 227

Celebrated in: Cyprus

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Easter (Czech Republic)

Between March 22 and April 25

In the Czech Republic, Easter ( Velikonoce ) is celebrated as both a religious holy day and a seasonal festival that marks the end of winter.
For breakfast on Easter Sunday ( Nedele velikonocní ), Czechs eat mazanec, a traditional raisin-filled sweet bun spiced with nutmeg, topped with almonds, and marked with a cross before baking. Roast lamb or goat is the customary Easter dinner fare. The day itself is filled with preparations for traditional activities that take place the following day on Easter Monday, known as Whipping Monday.
On that day young boys and adolescents visit the homes of girls they admire to sing carols and whip the girls symbolically with pomlázka—pussy willow branches that have been braided into wands and decorated with colored ribbons. In return, the girls give boys such treats as kraslice (decorated eggs) or chocolate. The pussy willow branches symbolize youth and fertility. Though the custom is dying out in larger cities, the ritual, which is documented in writings extending back as far as the 14th century, continues in villages.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Czech Republic
3900 Spring of Freedom St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-274-9100; fax: 202-966-8540
www.mzv.cz/wwwo/?zu=washington

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 76

Celebrated in: Czech Republic

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Easter (Egypt)

Between April 4 and May 8

Easter in Egypt is celebrated by the nation's population of Christians, about seven percent of the total population (or 12 million people). The majority of Christians in Egypt belongs to the Coptic Orthodox branch of the church, which is based in Alexandria and Cairo. The Coptic Orthodox Church dates back to the first century and was founded by the apostle Mark, one of the four gospel authors. Significant numbers of Egyptians also belong to various Eastern and Roman Catholic rites, including the Greek Orthodox Church, the Coptic Catholic Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, or to Protestant denominations such as the Coptic Evangelical Church.
In preparation for Easter, the high feast commemorating the resurrection of Jesus, Coptic Orthodox adherents observe a period of Lent comprising 55 days of fasting. During this time all foods derived from animals are prohibited, including meat, fish, eggs, and milk. A diet limited to vegetables and beans is followed during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday, and during this period people attend church services every day. On Saturday night, they attend a long Easter Vigil service, which continues through much of the night, ending in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. Families then return home to break the long period of fasting and celebrate with a feast of roasted turkey or lamb with grape leaves. Children receive small gifts of money or clothing. In Cairo the pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church presides over a national Easter service in the Great Cathedral of St. Mark that is attended by thousands of the congregation as well as numerous government and religious dignitaries. A public holiday celebrating the beginning of spring is held on the day after Easter, and this is a popular day for picnics and visiting family and friends.

CONTACTS:
Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
www.copticpope.org/index.php
Coptic Orthodox Church Network
P.O. Box 6909
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
www.copticchurch.net

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 171

Celebrated in: Egypt

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Easter (Germany) (Ostern)

Between March 22 and April 25

The first recorded evidence of a rabbit being associated with Easter dates from the 16th century in Germany, although the custom may be even older. The Easter hare still brings eggs to German children and hides them in out-of-the-way places, although in the past, the stork, the fox, and the cuckoo have played the same role. In many parts of Germany, little "rabbit gardens" are built for the Easter Bunny, using moss or grass as a nest for the eggs. Egg-gathering and egg-rolling are both popular activities at Easter, as are contests to see who can devour the greatest number of eggs.
Perhaps a remnant of ancient sacrificial rites, bonfires are built on high points of land in northern Germany. Although usually built out of huge piles of tar-soaked barrels and old tree roots and limbs, in the North Rhine-Westphalian village of Luegde, bonfires are made by tying twigs and straw to seven-foot wheels, lighting them, and rolling them down the hill. The flaming wheels, symbolic of the sun, weigh about 800 pounds each. Every time one of them reaches the bottom of the hill, the spectators shout for joy, for it is believed that this will bring a special blessing to the land and a bountiful harvest.
Water is also associated with Easter celebrations in Germany. One old custom entails girls in the Harz Mountains, Thuringia, and other regions rising at dawn to draw "Easter water" from the rivers. If they do so in complete silence and then bathe in the water, they will be blessed with beauty throughout the year. Easter morning dew is used for the same purpose.
Easter smacks, or Schmeckostern, are traditional beatings that the men and women give to each other in various parts of Germany to bring them luck, to protect them from disease, and to keep them young and healthy. The men beat the women on Easter Monday, and the women beat the men on Easter Tuesday. The new life contained by a green branch is supposed to be bestowed on the one who is beaten with it.

CONTACTS:
German Embassy in Ottawa, Canada
1 Waverley St.
Ottawa, ON K2P OT8 Canada
613-232-1101; fax: 613-594-9330
www.germanembassy.co.uk

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 133
BkFestHolWrld-1970, p. 60
DictFolkMyth-1984, p. 335
EncyEaster-2002, p. 227
FestWestEur-1958, p. 61

Celebrated in: Germany

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Easter (Hollywood, California)

Between March 22 and April 25

The early Christians believed that on Easter morning, the sun danced in honor of the resurrection of Christ. This led to the custom of rising before dawn to witness the phenomenon and may be the reason why sunrise services on Easter morning are common throughout the United States.
At the Hollywood Bowl, a huge outdoor amphitheater in the Hollywood Hills, California, the Easter sunrise service is a spectacle on a scale that only Hollywood could produce. First held in 1921, the service is attended by about 30,000 people who spend the night in the stadium. About 50,000 calla lilies decorate the stage, where a huge choir and a symphony orchestra perform the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah and traditional Easter hymns. Some 250 teenagers form a "living cross" just after dawn.

CONTACTS:
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90078
323-850-2000
www.hollywoodbowl.com

SOURCES:
BkFestHolWrld-1970, p. 59

Celebrated in: California

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Easter (Italy) (La Pasqua)

Between March 22 and April 25

In many Italian towns and villages sacred dramas commemorating episodes in the Easter story or from the Bible are held in the piazzas on Easter day. Pastries called corona di nove are baked in the form of a crown; in America, these pastries are often made in the shape of rabbits instead. Other traditional foods of the season include capretto (lamb) and agnello (kid).
In Florence, the Ceremony of the Car, or Scoppio del Carro, is held on Holy Saturday. Inaugurated by the ancient Florentine family of de'Pazzi, the custom involves a decorated wooden car filled with explosives, which is drawn into the piazza by white oxen and placed before the cathedral doors. A wire runs from the high altar inside the cathedral to the car in the piazza. As the mass ends, a dove-shaped rocket is ignited at the altar and sent shooting out along the wire. When it reaches the car, it sets fire to the explosives. Tuscan farmers believe that if the rocket does its job well, their harvests will prosper in the coming year. If it fails to ignite the carro or if something else goes wrong, their crops in the coming season will be poor.

CONTACTS:
Italian Government Tourist Board
630 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1565
New York, NY 10111
212-245-5618; fax: 212-586-9249
www.italiantourism.com

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 185
EncyEaster-2002, p. 313
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 75
FestWestEur-1958, p. 95

Celebrated in: Italy

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Easter (Netherlands) (Paschen, Paasch Zondag)

Between March 22 and April 25

The lighting of bonfires is a common occurrence on Easter or Easter Eve in the Netherlands. The fuel is collected weeks in advance, and neighboring towns often compete with each other to see which can build the biggest fire. As the flames get higher, the villagers join hands and dance around the fire. In ancient times, bits of charred wood carried home from the bonfire were believed to protect people's houses from fire and other disasters during the year.
In the village of Denekamp, in the province of Overijssel, two young men who represent the comic characters known as Judas and Iscariot—Judas being "the clever man" and Iscariot being "the stupid man"—prepare the Easter bonfire and help set up the "Easter pole," which is a tall fir tree that has been stripped of its branches, cut down, and carried to the hill where the bonfire will be lit. Judas sets a ladder against the tree, climbs up, and starts auctioning it to the highest bidder. The crowd hoots and jeers at him and at Iscariot, who replaces him. At eight o'clock in the evening the fire is lit, and the townspeople dance and sing a very old hymn whose dialect words and meanings are understood only by local people.
In the eastern Netherlands village of Ootmarsum, the Vlöggelen, or "winging ceremony," is held on Easter Sunday and Monday.
See also Easter Monday in the Netherlands

CONTACTS:
Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions
355 Lexington Ave., 19th Fl.
New York, NY 10017
888-464-6552 or 212-370-7360; fax: 212-370-9507
www.us.holland.com

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 241
EncyEaster-2002, p. 120
FestWestEur-1958, pp. 126, 130

Celebrated in: Netherlands

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Easter (Norway) (Paske)

Between March 22 and April 25

Easter in Norway is a popular time to go to mountain resorts and enjoy winter sports. From Maundy Thursday through Easter Monday, the towns and cities are deserted, but every mountain inn and hotel is packed to overflowing with those who come to ski, skate, toboggan, and enjoy watching others pursue such activities. Ice carnivals, sports competitions, dances, and concerts are also popular, and many mountain resorts hold special out-of-doors Easter services for skiers.
Norwegians who observe the holiday at home dye and decorate Easter eggs after boring small holes in the ends and blowing out the yolk and white, or by carefully cutting the shells in half and then pasting them together again with strips of paper. The decorated eggs are hidden all over the house, and on Easter morning, everyone hunts for the eggs that have been concealed for them by other family members.

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 249
FestWestEur-1958, p. 152
(c)

Celebrated in: Norway

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Easter (Poland) (Wielkanoc)

Between March 22 and April 25

After attending the Easter church service, Polish families gather to share a cold meal, for the day is considered too sacred to light a fire. The head of the family cuts up a colored egg and gives a piece of it to everyone present. Each person then offers an Easter greeting to the others. The meal itself usually consists of ham, sausages, salads, babka (the Polish national cake), and mazurki, or sweet cakes filled with nuts, fruit, and honey.
On Easter Monday, people don old clothes and engage in a water-throwing game known as smigus. Children often throw decorated eggshells into a stream, in hopes that their Easter wishes will reach those who live beneath the earth.

CONTACTS:
Polish American Journal
P.O. Box 328
Boston, NY 14025
800-422-1275 or 716-312-8088
www.polamjournal.com

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 260
EncyEaster-2002, p. 500
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 238

Celebrated in: Poland

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Easter (Russia) (Paskha)

Between April 4 and May 8

Easter is one of the most important holidays of the Russian year. A great deal of attention is devoted to the preparation of koulich, a very tall Easter cake made according to a traditional recipe and a major part of the Easter meal that breaks the Lenten fast. Pillows are often placed around the pan while the dough is rising, because any jarring might cause the cake to fall. Husbands often complain that they've been kicked out of the house because their heavy footsteps are disturbing the koulich. The finished cake is usually marked with the initials X and B, which stand for the Russian words meaning "Christ is risen."
On Easter Sunday and Monday the men visit each other, but Easter Tuesday is reserved for the women to call on their friends. In rural areas it is customary for children to swing, dance, and play games and musical instruments on this day. Church bells ring throughout the Easter holiday.

CONTACTS:
Moscow City Tourist Information Center
Gostiny Dvor, 4, Ilyinka
Moscow, 103012 Russia
7-395-232-5657
eng.menu.ru

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 292
EncyEaster-2002, p. 539

Celebrated in: Russian Federation

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Easter (Spain)

Between March 22 and April 25

After attending Easter morning mass, many Spanish people throng the cafes and restaurants to break their Lenten fast. In the afternoon, residents of Madrid, Seville, and other cities usually attend bullfights. In villages in southern Valencia, such as Jumilla and Alcañiz, the coming of Easter is marked by a tamborada —three days of non-stop drumming. Residents of Hellin are treated to the pounding of 8,000 to 10,000 drums between Holy Wednesday and Easter Sunday.
The shop windows of confectioners and pastry cooks are filled with elaborate displays of cakes around Easter. Sometimes a farmyard is made out of pastry, with hens, cocks, and monkeys. A special pastry known as a mona (female monkey) contains a hard-boiled egg, and elaborate and ingenious monas are often given as Easter presents.
In the region of Spain known as Catalonia, Holy Week pasos (tableaux) are formed by men standing on each other's shoulders to form a kind of circular pyramid, with a small child standing on the top. Easter pasos often illustrate a biblical scene, such as the Descent from the Cross.

CONTACTS:
Tourist Office of Spain
666 Fifth Ave., 35th Fl.
New York, NY 10103
212-265-8822; fax: 212-265-8864
www.okspain.org

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 301
EncyEaster-2002, p. 565
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 84
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 239

Celebrated in: Spain

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Easter (Sweden) (PÜskdagen)

Between March 22 and April 25

Easter in Sweden is a time for winter sports. Thousands of people from Stockholm and other southern cities board special excursion trains and spend the Easter holidays in the northern provinces, where winter sports are at their peak.
On either Maundy Thursday or Easter Eve, children often dress up as witches and call on their neighbors, much as children in the United States do on Halloween. Sometimes they slip a secret "Easter letter" under the door or in the mailbox. Bonfires are popular in the western provinces of Sweden, with competitions to see which village can build the biggest fire. The witches and bonfires are reminiscent of pagan ceremonies to ward off evil, and in rural areas people still hang crossed scythes in their stables or paint crosses over their doors to protect themselves against the evil spread by Easter hags flying around on their broomsticks.

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 309
EncyEaster-2002, p. 590
FestWestEur-1958, p. 213
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 240

Celebrated in: Sweden

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Easter (Ukraine)

Between April 4 and May 8

Decorating eggs is the Easter custom for which Ukrainians are known all over the world. The pysanky eggs are not cooked because the raw egg shell absorbs the color better. The initial design is drawn on the shell with a pysar, or small, metal-tipped writing tool, dipped in beeswax. When the egg is dipped in the first dye (usually yellow, the lightest color), the wax prevents any dye from being absorbed. When the next layer of the design is drawn on the shell, it will remain yellow while the rest of the egg is dyed a darker color (usually orange or red). This layering process continues until the desired artistic effect is achieved. Then the egg is held over a candle flame to melt off the wax and is coated with shellac or varnish. A woman who is particularly adept at decorating Easter eggs is called a pysarka .
The eggs are presented as gifts to friends and relatives on Easter morning. One of the decorated eggs that has been hard-boiled is shelled, sliced up, and served at the beginning of the Easter dinner to symbolize the end of the Lenten fast. Sometimes the eggs are used in a game where children try to strike each other's eggs with their own. But due to the eggs' religious significance and the work that goes into decorating them, the shells are never dropped on the ground or discarded. If broken, they are usually thrown into fire or water.

CONTACTS:
Ukrainian Museum
222 E. 6th St.
New York, NY 10003
212-228-0110; fax: 212-228-1947
www.ukrainianmuseum.org

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 617
FolkAmerHol-1999, p. 179
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 241

Celebrated in: Ukraine

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Easter (Yaqui Indians)

Between March 22 and April 25

Although they were originally Mexican, the Yaqui Indians resettled in Arizona, and most of them now live near Tucson or Phoenix. During Holy Week they perform a series of dances and pageants that combine Christian, Native American, and Spanish customs. They act out their own version of the biblical events associated with Easter, using spectacular masks and costumes and incorporating the complicated symbolism of their native culture as well as such recognizable Christian figures as Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Judas, and Pilate.
When the Yaqui lived in Mexico, a group of ritual clowns known as the Chapayekas played the role of police during the Easter week celebrations. They wore masks made out of goat or wild pig skin with long ears and snouts ( chapayekas means "long slender noses") and huge horns. They maintained a ritual silence and communicated only by sign language. Today they still play a part in Yaqui Easter observances, performing dances during Easter processions and church services.

CONTACTS:
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
7474 S. Camino de Oeste
Tucson, AZ 85746
520-883-5000; fax: 520-883-5014
www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov

SOURCES:
DictFolkMyth-1984, p. 212
EncyRel-1987, vol. 4, p. 437
IndianAmer-1989, p. 274