So, I love celebrating Easter here. There are certain aspects of our "American way" that I miss while celebrating Easter, but the way we celebrate here lends more depth. I'll explain.
On the Thursday before Easter, we gather and remember the Last Supper and take communion. Many people fast during these days. This is a very serious and quite gathering, but so rich! This year we went through the aspects of the traditional Passover and connected it to the Last Supper. It had never been more meaningful.
On Friday, we meet again. This gathering is also very quiet and serious, but also very sorrowful. All the lights are off, some candles are lit, and many wear black. It's as if we are mourners at the funeral of our Lord. However, we mourn with HOPE because we know that Sunday is coming.
Saturday evening, some people are already beginning to celebrate the resurrection. (I don't like this aspect as much as I like to wait until the light of Sunday morning). This year I watched "The Passion of the Christ" with my colleagues on.
YES! Sunday morning! It's time to celebrate. There is a special greeting on this day: Kristos haryav i merelots. And the other person responds with: Orhnyal e harutyuna Kristosi (Which means, Christ has risen from the dead! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ!) So, you are constantly reciting this greeting to each other. To me, it's a lot cooler than "Happy Easter!"
After church, we fellowship together and eat eggs (dyed red), lavash, tarragon, and plav (rice cooked with oil and raisins). Before taking the shell of your egg, you hit the top of your egg against someone else's egg....if your egg doesn't crack, you win!
After everything was finished, my colleagues and I had a more American version of Easter dinner with porkchops, green beans, scalloped potatoes, waldorf salad, and Funfetti cake! (And of course Charlie Brown's "The Easter Beagle").
It was great to celebrate in both ways, but I do really enjoy remembering each step of this holiday as we do here. I feel like in America we only celebrate for an hour and 1/2 on Easter Sunday, while here it is a several day journey.
This is a picture of me and my colleagues. We held to the American tradition of wearing a new clothes for Easter! :) Of course it was just like back home.....cold and rainy on Easter when you want to wear something new and springy. Oh well!
1 comment:
Not just 1 ...but 3 beautiful young ladies. Where's your Easter bonnets. Thanks for sharing the customs in Armenia. I like how they say Happy Easter. I 'd like rice and raisins, but I'm not much for eating boiled eggs. Glad you liked it.
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