The customs of our parents and grandparents are fast disappearing. They were brought from the homeland where pagan superstitions and Christianity were closely intertwined. Some were directly related to the practice of our ancestors' Eastern religion--the feasting and fasting rituals of their faith. Others go back much farther--to the long winters and dark forests of the Carpathians--and the deep superstitions of peasants who lived close to nature and the land.
EASTER
Easter was the most important day of the liturgical year for our ancestors. After the long, hard winter, the holiday customs combined religious and pagan rituals celebrating spring, resurrection and fertility. The holiday followed a strict fast in which meat and dairy products were not eaten on specific days. During this Lenten period, singing and celebration had been forbidden so Easter was a joyful time.
The holiday was preceded by Palm (Willow) Sunday and then the sorrowful Good Friday. Saturday was a day of preparation for the triumphant holiday which followed.
A basket of foods were prepared and taken to be blessed by the local priest. A midnight liturgy in which the faithful with candles circled the church and re-entered to find Christ's grave thrown open and death defeated, was accompanied by the sonorous tolling of bells. The joyful greeting, "Christos Voskres" (Christ is risen!) and the reply "Voistinu Vokres" (He is risen,indeed!) echoed through the villages on this blessed night and the days that followed.
In our villages, customs and recipes were passed down through generations and then carried over to the new world. The basket covered with an embroidered cloth contained:
pascha
butter
kulich
yayechnick
meat roast
sausage--kielbasi
horseradish/beets
dyed eggs
candle
The sharing of the blessed food in the Easter basket was a time of great joy and celebration in the old country villages and in the coal patches and milltowns of the Rusyn immigrants.
If you know of village customs and recipes (or variations of those listed) that we do not have, please tell us using the contact form at the bottom of this page so that we may add your contribution to the website.
CHRISTMAS
The celebration of Christ's birth began with a Christmas Eve celebration, Holy Supper, which followed forty days of strict fasting. Customs varied over the Rusyn homeland and even from village to village. Among the customs observed in our village area:
Cleaning --the house was cleaned and even whitewashed from top to bottom in preparation for the sacred holiday
Animals-- the animals were fed first, before the supper began, because they had been with Jesus on the night of his birth
Evening star--the Holy Supper feast could not begin until the sighting of the first evening star--often the children, or the youngest child, searched for the star's appearance
Tablecloth--a white tablecloth covered the table and was a symbol of the Christ Child's swaddling clothes
Straw-- was placed under tablecloth and sometimes a sheaf was placed under the table or in a corner with holy icons--Hay or straw was very symbolic representing both the manger in which the Christ Child lay, but also the seeds for a prosperous harvest in the coming year
Fast meal--the Holy Supper was without meat--and in some homes, dairy products
Twelve courses--in many homes, there were twelve meatless courses--recipes passed on from generation to generation--symbolizing the apostles and the coming lunar cycles of the year
Prayer--the meal began with a prayer which asked for health and prosperity in the coming year--other prayers were added at the closing of the Supper
Bread--a loaf of bread was placed at the center of the table--often with a candle in it symbolizing Christ, the Light of the World
Honey and garlic--represented the bitter and sweet aspects of life--also present was the centuries old belief that garlic repelled evil spirits
First course--the first course was Kecelitsa--fermented oatmeal soup
Among the courses:
mushroom soup
pea soup
cabbage soup
mushrooms
pierogi--cabbage and prune
cabbage/potatoes
beans
stewed fruit
herringAttendance--family members and guests had to stay at the table for the entire meal--to leave the table meant that you would not live to be present at next year's Supper
Food tasting- no food could be left untasted --family and guests had to take a bite of each course--or they would be hungry in the coming year
Carols--after Holy Supper, carols were sung and the family left for the evening church liturgy
Coin Water---some descendants of our village ancestors describe washing in basins that had silver coins scattered in them on Christmas morning. The last child to wash would get to keep the coins. Washing in money would bring prosperity for the coming year.
First Guest--the first person to enter the home on Christmas Eve had to be a man (preferably dark-haired) for good luck--women would wait and let a man precede them into the home to ensure this good fortune.
If you know of village customs and recipes (or variations of those listed) that we do not have, please contact PatPelak@aol.com so that we may add your contribution to the website.