Easter In Romania

Celebrated with great pomp and fanfare across the globe, Easter is one of the most important festivals amongst Christians. It marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The festival also welcomes the new season of spring after the end of the Lent period. While the festival is celebrated with great magnificence throughout the world, every country has its own traditions, rituals and beliefs. Romania is one such country where Easter is celebrated to render respect and reverence to Jesus, thereby, making Easter one of the most important occasions in Romania. Celebrations in Romania are highly colorful and cherished. Traditionally painted eggs form the main part of Easter celebrations in Romania.

In Romania, Easter is celebrated as per the rituals followed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. High spirits and festive mood engulfs the country on Easter. Numerous preparations and rituals are carried out before the arrival of Easter. Romanians offer prayer to the Roman goddess of Flora and Willows, a week before Easter. On this day, they commemorate the death of their loved ones. Cemeteries are cleaned and a branch of willow is kept over each of the tomb. On Holy Thursday, people start painting the eggs in various colors. Though red is the prime color, others like yellow, green, blue and black are also not far behind.

Another popular tradition followed in every Romanian household, on Great Thursday, is the placing of a chair near fire, with blankets kept over it. It is believed that the dead souls would sit on those chairs. On Holy Saturday, which is also referred to as Flowers Saturday or Lazarus' Saturday in Romania, girls sow seeds of a flower. At midnight, everyone in the family visits the church and attends the mass. They carry a bowl of Pasca, eggs and steak, to the church, where these foods are blessed by the priests. On returning from the mass, every family member consumes a little bit of the sanctified food, before resting.

Pasca is a must-have for Romanian people during Easter. The shells of the eggs, used for making Pasca, are thrown in the river. It is believed that the river would take the shells to the land of Good People, announcing the arrival of Easter. Parts of Romania also follow the tradition of 'wetting'. In this ritual, boys take a bucket of water and go to the houses of unmarried girls. If the girls are sleeping, they throw water on them. The alleged belief associated with this is that girls who get wet would get married quickly. In return, the boys are rewarded with the most beautifully decorated egg and Pasca or cake.