Le Christ est Ressucite!
On Great and Holy Paschal, there is a longstanding
tradition of blessing Paschal foods which are often brought in baskets. This
food is carefully prepared and includes a rich tasting sweet bread (kulich or
pascha); a bitter herb (horseradish); sweet wine; cheeses (hurtka & sirniya
pascha), meats (ham, veal, sausage, & bacon), butter, salt, and red eggs.
Each food item has a rich, deep, symbolic significance – as does everything in
the Orthodox Faith. Thus, maintaining our sacred traditions that have been
passed down for millennia is what often separates us from other Christian
denominations.
Here are some of the meanings attributed to these
special foods:
Sweet bread is always included, leavened with yeast.
This is a symbol of the New Covenant; the Jews made unleavened bread, and we,
the Children of the New Covenant, make leavened bread. Kulich is the
traditional Russian bread, and Tsourekia is the traditional Greek braided
bread. The braided form of this bread is a display of the Trinity.
The bitter herb, often horseradish or garlic, serves
as a reminder of the first Passover (horseradish is eaten as a traditional part
of the original Passover meal) and of the bitter sufferings which Christ
endured for our sake. Sometimes the herb is colored red with beets, symbolizing
the Blood of Christ. Bitter herbs also symbolize the Jews’ forty years of
wandering in the wilderness.
Wine, cheese, and butter are figurative of all the
good things of life and remind us of the earthly gifts that come from God.
Meat is included in remembrance of the sacrifice of
the Old Testament Passover, which has been replaced by Christ, the New Passover
and Lamb of God.
Salt serves as a reminder to us that we are "the
salt of the earth."
The red egg is an age-old symbol of the Resurrection,
likened to the tomb from which Christ arose. Just as the miracle of new life
comes from the egg, so does Christ miraculously come forth from the tomb.
Fr. John
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