What Is Being Prepared For Easter

Easter is the happiest of all Christian holidays , as this religious event symbolizes the victory of life over death, the awakening of nature and the beginning of a new life.

The celebration of the Resurrection of Christ takes place all over the world with great pomp, with festive processions in the USA and Italy, and, of course,  festive tables rich in various delicacies all over the world.

After a long abstinence during Lent, many different dishes are prepared for the table . On this day, people visit relatives and receive guests, the festive table should be sumptuous. The symbols of Easter are eggs, chickens, bunnies, nests, greenery and flowers. These items can be used to decorate the table and home.

In every country, it is customary to feast and be treated to various traditional goodies, but almost nowhere can do without Easter bread (which symbolizes the resurrection of Christ) and colored eggs (in many Western countries they are replaced by chocolate eggs), which equate life and rebirth. Easter bread in different parts of the world has different names: in Bulgaria - kozunak, Ukrainians and Moldovans call it paska, in Italy - pane pasquale, however, in most cases, it is based on yeast dough flavored with butter, eggs, dried fruits, nuts, etc. . According to Christian custom, paskas were baked on Good Friday, and on the night from Saturday to Sunday they were consecrated in the church.

A sumptuous festive table

If you want to follow the traditions in everything, then you will have to work hard, because customs dictate to prepare 40 snacks for the festive table on this day , symbolizing 40 days of fasting. Of course, hardly anyone follows this rule today, but in every home, preparations for the holiday begin early. General cleaning is being done in the house, and from Thursday, the preparation of holiday treats will begin. First, eggs are painted, children can be involved in this, they will be interested, and on Friday they bake Easter cakes.

Ritual elements of the festive table

Paska, cheese paska, and dyed eggs are among the ritual snacks that cannot be dispensed with on the festive table .

Cheese paste, which is nothing more than pressed cheese mass in the shape of a pyramid with cream or sour cream, is good for children and can be prepared without baking, which saves time. However, cheese paste can be baked or prepared using the choux method. This type of paska symbolizes Calvary.

It is best to dye eggs with natural dyes: onion peel, vegetable peels or herbal decoctions.

What else to serve to the table for Easter

Other festive dishes are connected not so much with religious customs as with seasonal products and culinary traditions of the region or family. Many families have their own traditional holiday menu, which is updated from time to time with new dishes .

In addition to traditional snacks, after a long abstinence from meat, various dishes prepared from it are served, for example, jello, ham, homemade sausage, meat roll, bigos, various chicken dishes , etc.

Kholodets is a peculiar symbol of the Slavic festive table , it can be prepared from several types of meat. Of course, the festive table cannot be complete without salads and vegetables, fresh or pickled.

Hot dishes

The table for Easter never had many hot dishes , because on the eve of the holiday , everyone, including the hostess, went to church for the night service, that is, festive dishes were prepared in advance. During Easter , the hostess should have fun and relax together with her loved ones, so the table was set mainly with cold dishes : salads, snacks, pies, fish, etc.

Fatty meat dishes must be heated before serving, while meat roll, for example, can be eaten cold.

It is advisable to drink only red wine, as strong drinks do not go well with Easter .