Let me tell you a bit about Easter traditions in Moldova. It’s one of the most significant holidays in our culture. The celebration consists of a series of beautiful rituals transmitted from parents to kids, from one generation to another. The blooming trees and the fresh green grass add magic and make the holiday even more enjoyable.

The date of the Orthodox Easter changes every year. It was established in 325, within the Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea that Easter date depends on two important natural events: the spring equinox, which takes place on March 21, and the following full moon. Because the full moon varies, the date of Easter is variable, but also in the fourth century it was established that Easter will always be celebrated on Sunday. There is no egg hunting for kids but we have our fun with red-colored eggs and Pasca that will never miss on our tables. By the way, on Easter morning there is a real egg-fight, when each member of the family chooses a red-colored egg and hits the egg of his neighbor at the table. The egg that resists all the fights without any cracks brings luck and power to the person it belongs.

The spiritual preparations for Easter begin with Great Lent, 40 days of abstinence and fasting. “The spiritual fast is designed to strengthen the inner life of the worshipper by weakening the attractions of the flesh and drawing him or her closer to God. In many Eastern churches, the Lenten fast is still observed with considerable strictness, meaning no meat is consumed, nor any animal products (eggs, milk, butter, cheese), and fish only on certain days.”

Easter traditions in Moldova start with fasting and continues throughout Holy Week. During the Easter Vigil services, Orthodox churches celebrate Saturday evening with a candlelight procession outside the church and the blessing of the food brought by the people to the church.

When I was a child my grandma Vera used to take me a few times to assist at Easter ceremonies and, honestly, it is one of the most magical moments of my childhood. To stay awake all night and to watch how hundreds of candles enlighten the night and people walk silently in a circle around the church saying a prayers – it had such a powerful impact on me as a child that even today, as an adult who’s not very closed to the church I remember that procession with thrills.

Those who were not going to church on Easter night were strictly prohibited to eat anything before a member of the family would bring the sacred light and the food from the church. Early morning the kids were encouraged to wash their face with a metal coin and a red colored egg, saying a prayer about being strong as the coin and healthy as the egg.

The first bites of the Easter morning had to be of the food coming from the church basket: pasca, red-colored eggs, wine, sheep chees, green onion and horse radish (considered to be a a powerful root against all the diseases). Only after having eaten the blessed food, we could start enjoying the other meals, made with so much dedication by the women of the family (hopefully the men are being more and more involved in the “typically women” house chords). Lamb is the traditional meat of the festivity. It is served with fresh spring vegetables and greens. Also we can have sarmale (stuffed vine and cabbage rolls), placinte (traditional pies stuffed with cottage chees, sour cabbage or potatoes) on Easter table.

Normally, after 40 days of fasting, people hardly control the over eating, so the next days all the newscasts usually have the same news each year about how many people needed medical help because of the indigestions. But let’s get back to the traditional Easter food. This is Pasca and it replaces the bread on Easter tables. It is made a few day before Easter, on the Thursday before Easter and each woman takes it as personal challenge to make the most beautiful and tasty Pasca. For that you had to throw away all the negative thoughts, otherwise the doughs won’t rise as it should.

I’ll share with you the recipe of my mom’s Pasca. It comes from the North of the country.