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“TRAIAN VUIA” HIGH SCHOOL- CRAIOVA”
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Easter represents one of the most important annual Christian celebration, which comemorates the essential event of christianity,
"Jesus's Rebirth", God's Son, in the
3rd day after his crucifixion in the
Good Friday.

The Way of calculation for the Saint
Easter
The date of Easter's celebration is based on 2 astronomical phenomena: spring equinox and the rotation of the
Moon around the Earth.So, Easter is celebrated the next Sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox.

Catholic
Easter
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
24
April
8
April
31
March
20
April
5
April
27
March
16
April
1 April 21
April
12
April
Orthodox
Easter
24
April
15
April
5 May 20
April
12April 1 May 16
April
8 April 28
April
19
April

Christian Easter lasts 40 days. The first 3 of the
40 pascal days are holiday in Romania. In the orthodox church people prepare to welcome the pascal celebrations through "Easter's Lent", also called "The Great Lent", which lasts 8 days.

The chronology of the pascal celebrations in Romania
The last week of the Easter's Lent is called "The Holly Week"(The Passion
Week) and starts on Palm Sunday, when is celebrated Jesus's arrival in
Jerusalem. "The Holly Week" celebrates
Jesus's capture, his crucifixion and his death. During this final week, the churches hold services called "evening service during passion week" every evening.

From Monday to Thursday is commemorated the final meal, Jesus's capture and closure(sending to prison).
Thursday is called "the Great Thurday". Friday, called "the
Great Friday" it is comemmorated the crucifixion and Jesus' s death on the cross.On this day,people keep "black lent", which means that they eat nothing. Romanians usually attend the services during The Great Week.

On Saturday, people go to church for the midnight service, or Resurrection. At midnight the priests call the Romanians who have come to the church to take the saint light. Usually Romanians hold their candles lit until they arrive at home.

The Bright Week starts with the night of ressurection, when the gates of Heaven open and stay opened till the Elevation, while the gates of Hell are closed.

Easter traditions in
Romania
On Easter, the tradition says that people must wear something new. At the
Ressurection christians go not only with their pure soul, but also with a cleaned body and dressed in new clothes.
In the great week, the tradition is that all the housewives must do a general clean up in the house, in the yard and in the gardens, as a symbol of the rebirth.

•
The spreadest christian tradition is painting the red eggs, whose presence is indispensable at the Easter meal. The eggs are painted in the great Thursday. In some parts of the country eggs are ornamented. It's operated with symbols(soon,moon,cross), with models from nature(plants, animals, home objects) and models of traditional fabrics.

The painting of the eggs
The popular technology, which turns the egg into artwork, has more stages:
1.fresh chicken and duck eggs are chosen, they are sank in water(fresh eggs go to the bottom, old eggs rise to the surface);
2. the eggs must be big and beautiful, with thick crustand without bumps;
3.they are softly washed with hot water and vinegar to avoid breaking them and to catch paint uniformly, without spots;
4.eggs are put into an orizontal position into a bowl of water to choose the bubble of air on the edge, not to the ends;
5. the eggs are boilt to small fire not to break the crust;
6.the plant or chimical paint is prepared, each colour into a clean bowl.

•
The Pasture
•
It's baked once a year, at Easter. It has round shape, in the middle it has a cross and it's decorated on the edge with braided dough.
Before baking it, it's filled with cow - cheese and raisins.

The lamb
• It represents Jesus sacrificed for the humans' sins and died as an innocent lamb. Romanians prepare different lamb dishes: steak,haggis (tripe)

Lamb tripe
Ingredients: eggs, lamb liver, bread soaked in milk, green onion, parsley, dill, cream, salt, pepper,sheet of dough

Lamb tripe

Just like Christmas, Easter is a very important celebration for
Romanians, a celebration which brings the family together and a good oportunuty for joy. That's why
Romanians have lunch with their family and friends at Easter. Before the meal, eggs are knocked , saying
" Jesus has ressurected!/ He really has!"