Easter Celebrations According to the Byzantine Rite

Hello everyone! I’m hoping that all of you and your loved ones are healthy, safe, and well, during this especially unpredictable time.

A year ago, I had the privilege to meet you all during what became one of the most delightful and exciting experiences I had during my stay in England, replete with beautiful and warm memories. I miss everyone, and not least of all the wonderful children I met at CPW. The Wednesday night that we gathered around the kitchen table for dinner, I remember being asked how my family celebrates Easter according to the Byzantine Rite. I couldn't provide pictures then, but today, on this year's Easter Sunday, I can do so!

As I mentioned then, every year, my family assembles a traditional Ukrainian Easter basket. Ours usually includes a "babka," or sweetbread, which takes a day to put together from scratch and (appropriately!) resurrects multiple times during the baking process. We always prepare a glaze made of lemon juice and powdered sugar, and add with a contemporary twist with rainbow sprinkles for a topping. This year, as we couldn't visit my grandmother in the States, my mother and I put together our babka, which didn't turn out too shabby!

A traditional basket also includes hard-boiled eggs, a stick of horseradish (representing the bitterness of Christ's Passion), butter (which we've adorned with peppercorns in the shape of a cross), Easter eggs, and periwinkle (which thankfully blossomed in time in our backyard!), all laid out on a traditional Ukranian embroidered kerchief. We also usually include kielbasa or kabanos, two types of smoked sausage, but we had some especial COVID concerns about meat-handling in our province, so we just cooked some ham for the meal itself. We also made a pickled beets side (very Ukrainian) and a "salad" made of cool whip, marshmallows, pistachio pudding mix, canned crushed pineapple and mandarins (not so traditional).

Every year, many people wear a Ukrainian embroidered shirt to Mass as well. Mine isn't a traditional shirt, because it lacks the red and black threads typical to one, but it does have the puffy sleeves and embroidery, and a typical sash.

And as I mentioned last year, after the brunch follows the great nap, the result of what my god-sister calls "the food coma." (My parents are napping as I write this.)

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Virlana Shchuka

Babka, Baskets and Periwinke - Virlana Shares Her Family's Ukrainian Easter Traditions

Easter Celebrations According to the Byzantine Rite