Preparation for the weekend began earlier in the week when my host mom first made her traditional chocolate cake. She made this for Easter as well as her oldest son’s birthday, which happened to be on Easter. That was on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, she made Gevrek, a type of Kifli, (kee-flee), which is similar to our crescent rolls. Unfortunately, I was at school when she prepared these, but she made 2 plastic bags full of this delicious, buttery bread covered in sesame seeds. The kind she prepared on Tuesday were “posno,” meaning without eggs or dairy products. This is because people were fasting until Easter. Click the words above to see more pictures and the differences between the two types of bread!
Then, on Wednesday, together we made another type of Kifli. This included eggs and milk, and my host mom explained these are better than the posno Kifli. Also, both include enough margarine to last a year, but when in Rome, right? Again, these are rolled in sesame seeds. You can see them below:
Razor, check. Soap, check. Egg...check!
Later that night Sofija and I headed to the church around 11pm. Here in Macedonia, many people gather at the Orthodox Christian church before midnight to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection at 12:00. So, we met up with some of Sofija’s friends, lit our candles, and walked around the church three times. There were many people who joined the walk, but even more watching from the perimeter-it was very tricky maneuvering in a crowd of people, all who are holding a candle and most with only their hand to guard the flame from catching something or someone on fire. I felt at times like it was a race, Sofija zigging and zagging in between people and me trying my best to keep up with her. After the three laps were complete, we watched from the side as the “Pope” (Macedonian word for priest) read. At midnight he said, “Jesus has risen,” three times and everyone pulled out their red egg they carried to church. We cracked it against one another’s, alternating who hits from the top and who’s egg is on the bottom. Sofija’s egg turned out to be the hardest, with only one end breaking! Overall, it was a night full of culture and even though I am not a very religious person, I am very happy I attended church for this. Even better, I saw many of my students whose faces lit up when they saw me.
Overall, it was a busy weekend with much time to rest in between the major events. I enjoy the many traditions, even if they don’t know why they do them. It’s simply because their parents did them and their parents’ parents did them-what more explanation is needed? I love experiencing everything new, although it can be very exhausting. On to the next holiday, May 1st!
XOXO
-R