Pascha

[autumngirl]

Hi everyone. I'm so excited about Pascha - this will be my first year experiencing it in the Orthodox church. I'd like to read up about it, and really learn what families do - as far as traditional things - like I'm looking forward to making a basket and having it blessed, I've never done that in a church before, just the usual chocolate bunny rabbits and jelly beans basket for my son. Does anyone have suggestions for reading, or maybe someone has a personal website? I've done some searching on the internet but not finding what I'm looking for.... not yet, that is.... I'll keep looking though. Thank you all, Autumngirl

[HandmaidenOfGod]

While I can't offer any suggested reading, I would definitely reccomend talking to the Baba's/Yaya's of your parish to find out what the local Pascha traditions are.

God bless,

Maureen

P.S. Talk about your early planning -- it's not even Meatfare Sunday yet!

[choirfiend]

Baskets can contain a number of traditional foods (or make your own traditions!) If you're Greek, lamb is in order. For Slavs, it's Kielbasa. Cheese Pascha is common to most (a sweet spread cheese made from farmer's cheese, cooked egg yolks, and many other things). There will be regular cheese, hardboiled eggs, butter, sweet/heavy breads, salt, alcohol (vodka, ouzo, wine, etc) and as many meats as you can think of. Russians have caviar. The college boys bring steaks and grill them behind the church. Some people order pizza or bring fast-food burgers with them. Being a vegetarian, I pack Shells and Cheese. Many who have a fridge available at church bring ice cream. Chocolate and desserts abound. Have a candle in your basket to light, displaying the light of the Risen Christ which you bring with you into the church hall.

Bring some to share if your parish has a meal directly following the services, as we do. Everyone just wanders around and eats whatever they want.

[choirfiend]

There are traditions at the start of Lent, too. at Cheesefare Sunday, my parish hosts a Blini dinner (blini are Russian crepes, filled with sweet ricotta-y cheese, sometimes with other things). It's our version of mardi gras as everyone gets rid of their eggs, milk, cheese, and butter by making blini.


And oh, by doing a little research, I found these. I forgot that baskets also include horseradish!

http://www.orthodox.net/pascha/paschabasket.html
http://www.theologic.com/oflweb/lentpask/basket.htm
http://www.theologic.com/oflweb/lentpask/basket2.htm
http://htaoc.com/content/pascha_baskets.pdf
http://thepetrovics.net/sts_peter_paul/EasterBasket.html

That's definitely enough to get you started! All I did was google "pascha baskets," btw.

[Tsarina]

AutumnGirl, i'm also excited about Pascha this year. Like you, this will be my first experience as well. I know that it will be a wonderful one for the both of us.

Praying for you. God bless.

[ephraimanesti]

Hi everyone. I'm so excited about Pascha - this will be my first year experiencing it in the Orthodox church. I'd like to read up about it, and really learn what families do - as far as traditional things - like I'm looking forward to making a basket and having it blessed, I've never done that in a church before, just the usual chocolate bunny rabbits and jelly beans basket for my son. Does anyone have suggestions for reading, or maybe someone has a personal website? I've done some searching on the internet but not finding what I'm looking for.... not yet, that is.... I'll keep looking though. Thank you all, Autumngirl

MY DEAR SISTER IN CHRIST,

i would recommend "THE LENTEN SPRING" by Thomas Hopko for pre-Lenten reading and for reading during the Fast itself. i have been greatly blessed by it and have read it many times to great benefit. May you, too, be blessed!

MAY YOU BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE ON YOUR FIRST PASCHA!!!!!

MUCH LOVE IN CHRIST,
ephraim

[ufonium2]

Last year, my crew and I brought a bunch of Little Caesar's pizza to Pascha, and the priest started laughing as I came into the kitchen with them. I said, "I feel like such white trash sometimes" and he said, "You're not alone, look over there." In the corner of the kitchen was a big pyramid of White Castle hamburgers ;)

[EricTheRed]

Last year, my crew and I brought a bunch of Little Caesar's pizza to Pascha, and the priest started laughing as I came into the kitchen with them. I said, "I feel like such white trash sometimes" and he said, "You're not alone, look over there." In the corner of the kitchen was a big pyramid of White Castle hamburgers ;)

I am soooo going to do that lol

[MariaRegina]

Great Lent begins on March 6 this year and there is only one week difference between Easter and Pasha.

Pascha is April 23, 2006
Easter is April 16, 2006

[Khaleas]

I also put a jar of salt in my basket last year and I use it along the year.

What you put in depends on what you want to eat (we have a buffet so we don't really eat much of what's in the basket). I made kulich sweet bread, Pasha, I had kielbasa in it that I had bought from church, even a can of cat food and a can of dog food. I also had a little tin of butter that we all ended up using at my table.

[Akathist]

I put in the basket some sweet egg bread, chocolate, cheese, and summer sausage and decorated eggs. But like others said, this was taken home to eat. Some people in my church do eat the food in their baskets but we have so much food in the banquet it seemed silly to me.

We also have a tradition at my parish that catachumens do not make a basket but that their future GodParents make one for them.

This next year I am adding salt as well as I love that tradition.

[Monica, child of God]

I also put a jar of salt in my basket last year and I use it along the year.

I do this as well. Last year, I noticed that several of the Georgians had bottles of cooking oil in their baskets too, which would be nice to use year round. Maybe a bit of blessed cooking oil along with my regular oil so it lasts longer.

As far as books, I find it very helpful to try to keep up with the Scripture readings dring Lent. In addition to the usual Gospel and Epistle, there are readings from the Old Testament as well. I bought an inexpensive booklet that listed them all for the weeks of Lent, or you can use oca.org, antiochian.org or goarch.org which will list them.

And I thought I was the only one looking forward to Lent again already ;)

M.

[The Prokeimenon!]

I'm going to put an IV with essential nutrients in a basket. After Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha, I usually don't have the strength the chew :D :liturgy:

Rdr Moses

[autumngirl]

It was great to read about what everyone puts in their baskets!! Thank you! and thank you for the great links and suggestions. The links have some wonderful information. I'm also going to buy that book The Lenten Spring. Also I'm going to start looking for a pascha basket cover. I would rather make my own though. I just can't wait! So after the basket is blessed, you can take it home? I need to talk to my priest I guess. I was just wondering if that is the tradtion. Thank you all for the input and for the wonderful blessing! Sincerely, Autumngirl

[choirfiend]

In one church, baskets were blessed after church on Holy Saturday because people didn't stick around to eat together after church Sunday morning at 3am.

In other churches, baskets are blessed after the Paschal liturgy. Some people go straight home then, most stay and tear into the food:)

[OrthoCanuck]

I'm psyched about Pascha as well. It will be my first one too, and my children and I will be entering the church at that time. I'm not sure about the traditions either. Keep them coming.


Peace.


PS. I just found out the bishop will be coming to our parish on the first Sunday of Lent and that the priest is going to arrange for a meeting for the catechumens with the bishop. That's kinda exciting and anxiety provoking.

[Stavroula]

Is baskets something not found in some churches? Because I don't see them in the one I belong to.

Is this mostly a Slavic tradition?

[Greg the byzantine]

Is baskets something not found in some churches? Because I don't see them in the one I belong to.

Is this mostly a Slavic tradition?
It seems to be a slavic tradition, because I never heard about it before coming to this board.

[choirfiend]

It fell out of practice among the Greeks several hundred years ago, yes.


Canadian,
Don't be too intimidated. In the past, the outside courtyard area of a church (what is now the narthex, really) had a seat next to the door (still able to be found in many ancient monasteries, carved right into the stone.) This seat was for the bishop. In the days leading up to entry into the Church, the bishop would sit there and hold "class," quizzing all the catechumens who would be gathered around in chairs on the courtyard. If you didn't know the faith, you wouldn't be baptised!! Now THERE'S some pressure ;)