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Paskha

Kulich

Easter Food

Ritual food is a significant part of the Easter celebrations. Kulich, paskha (made from cottage cheese), and painted eggs are all blessed in the church before being eaten.

The Easter breakfast was, and still is, an important tradition, which brings together family members as they gather around a beautifully decorated table for a sumptuous feast. The Lenten fast is broken by first eating the eggs blessed in church. According to tradition, the head of the family should take one egg and cut it in a number of pieces equal to the number of family members sitting around the table; these pieces are then given out and are believed to contain happiness for the entire year ahead. Kulich and paskha are next divided up in the same way. Only once this been done were the feasters allowed to start eating the other dishes.

This substantial Easter breakfast is then followed by a no less substantial dinner. But, despite all this feasting, no eating is allowed after sunset. The first day of Easter is spent with the family, and guests are not supposed to come over; after that, everybody is welcome. Leftovers from the feast cannot be thrown away, or given to animals, but must be burnt or buried in the ground.

It is better to prepare a large amount of dough for kulich, so that it can ferment better. A lot of eggs, butter and sugar should be used so that the kulich stays fresh for a long time. A special 1-1.5 cubic litre, tall cylindrical form aluminium, is used for baking kulich. Forms are greased with butter and half-filled with dough. Kulich is decorated with sugar frosting, candied fruit peels, nuts and powdered sugar.

Paskha is another essential dish of the holiday feast. It is prepared using fresh cottage cheese and various other ingredients. All these are carefully mixed together and laid in a special form (made from wood or plastic) which is then set under a press for a few hours to separate the whey. The form is carefully opened and the paskha is laid on a plate.