The Easter Basket of special foods (described below) is arranged on Holy Saturday and taken to church, where a special blessing ceremony with prayers and sprinkling with Holy Water, is performed by the parish priest. The blessed food is served on Easter Sunday Brunch, once the fast is broken after the morning Easter Liturgy.
Our family celebrates spring with preparations for Easter Sunday Holiday and decorating of Easter Eggs. There are many ways to decorate eggs, such us coloring them with edible dyes in all different pastel colors, placing colorful stickers, beads, ribbons, etc. on eggs, drawing designs with markers, etc. There is also a very intricate egg decorating style, which I will introduce you to, and that is the Ukrainian Easter Egg, Pysanka, design.
My parents were my first mentors, and story tellers, about this old tradition, which was very popular in their native countries, Ukraine and Poland, and continues to thrive in the Diaspora
While most children are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the big, jolly fellow in a red suit, who sneaks into their houses through the chimney with presents for everyone, or at least this is how the legend has it, Ukrainian children get their small gifts on December 6th, from Saint Nicholas.