Holy Thursday

This is Holy Week in the Eastern Orthodox Church.  The week is full of traditions, services, and much love.  (You can read this article to understand why our Easter is on a different day than Western Easter.)

Although my focus has steered away from this spot this week, I just wanted to share our Easter eggs and their traditions with you.  Growing up the Easter bunny always hid pastel eggs throughout the yard (or house on the one occasion that it rained).  However, to be honest, these are not the eggs I associate with Easter.  When I think of Easter eggs, I imagine the deep red eggs passed out after the midnight Liturgy and the almost as deep red eggs at home.  (It's always a competition who can get their eggs the deepest red.  I'm proud to say that the older I get, the deeper red my eggs become.)

The eggs symbolize the empty tomb from which Jesus arose after his crucifixion.  The tradition of the deep red dates all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, where early Christians stained eggs red in memory of the blood of Jesus and victory over death. The eggs are always dyed on Holy Thursday in commemoration of the Last Supper, just as I dyed my family's eggs today. 

Tomorrow morning I will join the ladies at church to decorate the Kouvouklion (the symbolic tomb of Christ).  It is a labor of love and is truly one of my favorite days of the year and I'm anxious to share the experience with y'all!

Kαλό Πάσχα!  Kalo Pascha!