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Христос Воскресе!

 




Easter – Velikden (Great Day) in Bulgarian

It is the greatest Orthodox Church holiday. Usually, some people fast for 40 days before the day but I cannot do that and I fast for one week but exclude all animal products including eggs and oil including oils derived from plants. During that week I eat only vegetarian/vegan food vegetables, fruit, nuts vegetable soup.

The night before the day which is by tradition Saturday night before Sunday we go to church before midnight. Everyone brings colored boiled eggs – usually red. One egg is left in front of the icon of Jesus. There is a liturgy and at midnight the pastor leads a procession of worshipers walking around the church building three times. People use the other egg to strike the egg of someone close to you – usually a friend or relative with wishes for health and abundance during the year. The pastor is holding burning candles in his hands and all believers light their candles either from his candles or from the candles of someone who has lit their candle from the pastor’s candle. You strive to bring the lit candle home carrying the holy fire from the church to hour home and leaving it there to burn off completely. That was difficult to achieve at times with the wind blowing the flame out or imagine carrying a burning candle in a moving car. Luckily, we were going to church in groups so you could always relit your candle from someone else who managed to keep it burning.

The big feast starts at noon on Sunday. The whole family gathers. The traditional menu is:

Lamb soup – kurban chorba – made with holy water obtained from the church the previous day

Roasted lamb

Kozunak -  special Easter bread

Colored boiled eggs – they can be boiled and colored either on Thursday or Saturday

Salad – which has an Easter egg in it.

All food is arranged on the table and the oldest must say the Lord’s prayer and bless the food with incense and a candle. The candle is left in the center of the table and then we can sit and start eating. Before leaving the table once more the ritual with the eggs where you hold a colored egg and either hit your neighbor’s egg with it or they hit yours to see which one will break first and who is stronger.









Walnut Cookies

 

Walnut Cookies

Ingredients

2 egg whites

1 cup of icing sugar

3 cups of ground walnuts

Pinch of salt

How to prepare

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt – or better use a mixer – adding gradually the icing sugar until fluffy.

Fold gradually the finely ground walnuts with a wooden spoon and be careful to keep the egg whites fluffy.

Spoon the mixture in a baking tray covered with baking paper by shaping the cookies and make sure you leave some space between them because they will become bigger while they are being baked and you don’t want the cookies to stick together.

Preheat your oven to 1500 C and bake the cookies for around 25 minutes or until they are slightly brown.

Enjoy!





Martenitsa

Martenitsa

Честита Баба Марта!
Happy March!


 

Martenitsi are worn from 1 March until the wearer first sees a blossoming tree or until 22 March. Usually, you give them to friends and relatives wishing them health. If you see someone with a Martenitsa in March they are either Bulgarian (or Romanian) or have a Bulgarian (or Romanian) friend or relative. The name of the holiday 

Baba Marta (Martisor - Martishor in Romanian) means "Grandma March" in Bulgarian and the wearing of Martenitsi is a tradition related to welcoming the spring, which in Bulgaria begins in March. Before 22 March you have to tie the Martenitsa to a branch of a blossoming tree and make a wish.

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Enjoy!