Author: Irina Ilieva

Easter has always been my favorite family celebration throughout the year. Unlike Christmas, it is at the time of the year when it is actually quite enjoyable to stay outside and maybe even do a picnic, or a short hike in nature. It’s a day that brings the family together….The family brings A LOT of food. And there are some pretty cool traditions prior and during the Holy Week.

So, as I said, I am Bulgarian and as the majority of Christians in my country, I am Orthodox (or at least christened as such). Why this is important? Well, it is because ever since the East–West Schism of the 11th century (!) the two churches follow different calendars. Also, the dates of big Christian celebrations are determined in a slightly different way. To add an extra layer of confusion in the mix, since all Orthodox church branches are autocephalous, they do not have a head that unites and leads them all (such as the Pope). Due to all of the above reasons, in my home country (as well as in Greece) we ended up celebrating Christmas (which was kind of forbidden in the socialist regime) on the 25th of December like everyone in the Catholic world (and unlike most of the Orthodox one) and Easter on the movable date, which is the same for all Orthodox Christians every year.

Already confused? I don’t blame you. The point is that in the end, in most years for Orthodox Easter is at different times than for other Christians (both Catholic and Protestant).

So for most part of my last 12 years living in and out of my country (mostly in Western Europe) and the last 6, actually living (for the most part) with my Catholic-christened partner, I have had a double Easter every year, except in the rare occasions when the 2 coincided ( which happens roughly every 3 to 8 years).

That’s a lot of Easter celebrations indeed. But it has always been quite exciting for me to experience various funny traditions in other countries.

Like in Finland, where they have bonfires and other rites of spring- related traditions.

Or in Czech Republic and Slovakia, where they have this decorated willow whip-like twig bundle, which is thought to bring health and youth to anyone who is whipped with them. In Slovakia they even take it to the next level where men chase around women to pour water over them.

In Austria there is a mix of the Eastern and Western traditions (let’s be honest- most of those have nothing to do with Christianity) and the all the types of Easter eggs out there- from the decorative blown-out one, to the chocolate ones and the one for “pecking”

.And yes…egg pecking is probably the reason why every child in the Balkans loves Easter and why many of them do not necessarily enjoy the taste of boiled eggs in later life. All my childhood memories around Easter revolve first around “egg fights” (basically testing which egg is stronger) with beautifully decorated boiled eggs, family fussing around bringing and taking away dishes, and tipsy relatives, arguing over politics or football.

And of course, her majesty – The Food . So many variations out there. But my absolute favorites are the sweet Easter breads – made with love and tremendous amounts of eggs, sugar and all the possible fillings you could think of – from raisins and chocolate chips to vanilla cream and Turkish delight. HERE is one of the best collections of those I could find.

There is a good opportunity to test your baking skills and imagine through your taste buds that you are travelling around the world, when you cannot travel further from the bedroom to the kitchen.