Христос Воскресe

“Christ is risen!”  The great Christian holiday has come and gone in Macedonia, and I am astounded at how celebrated the holiday is here.  Many Macedonians have adapted a more secular approach to Christianity due to years of Communist rule, but many of the traditions and values had not died over the decades.

Although Orthodox Christians here are expected to fast like their Catholic brethren, many decide to forgo this part of the tradition and instead decide to only celebrate the other parts.  The Easter celebrations started for my host family on Good Friday.  Luckily for me, Friday and Monday were non-working days, so it gave me some time to relax and unwind from the weeks of preparation for our latest recruitment for my organization. 

I joined my host family on Good Friday to the church near the center.  When we arrived, we purchased candles a lit them for our special intentions.  Then we stood in line for a blessing from the pope, kissed the cross, and exchanged clothing, eggs, or flowers for a blessed flower.

Easter Eggs!

My host family and me on Good Friday

Saturday was a day for celebration, especially for the youth in Macedonia.  If I had to compare Holy Saturday to a holiday in the USA, I would compare it to Black Wednesday, or the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  That is because many students and young workers return home from college or work (read: Skopje) to celebrate Easter Sunday with their families.  However, Saturday night is sanctioned for celebrations with their friends at bars and clubs in their hometown center.

As I was getting my hair cut on Saturday afternoon, I had originally planned to have a peaceful evening in Prilep before Easter.  However, my barber, who is quite young and is the brother of one of the students with which I work, invited me to meet him in the center to celebrate that night.  I had a “Fuck it, I am in the Peace Corps and can only experience the cultural opportunities for a couple of years” moment and promised that I would meet him that night.  We met at his salon at 11PM and got liquored up before heading to the first bar.  The center of Prilep was crowded with young people, and I wondered when we would all head to the church to recognize Christ’s rise from the dead.  At about a quarter to midnight, almost all of the young people left the bar in droves and headed to the church of their choice.

An Orthodox church on Holy Saturday

Maud is ready for some cracking

Parting with my Easter egg

We all waited outside the church equipped with candles and Easter eggs.  A priest chanted over loud speakers part of the scriptures, and as the bells rang we were notified that Christ had risen.  At that moment, the young people took out their eggs and cracked them onto others’.  Supposedly if your egg cracks your friend’s, you will have luck for the year, or something like that.  I was unable to participate in this tradition because I had given the egg my host mother gave me to my friend from France, Maud.  Afterwards, everyone returned to the clubs to drink and dance their night away.

Preparing to crack the eggs

On Sunday, my host mother roasted a lamb and served it with various sweets and side dishes.  The lamb was succulent, and I was lucky to be invited to such a feast.  A few guests came by to “na gosti”, and we talked until the sun set.  It is on holidays like these that I feel lucky to have a host family like mine to welcome me to their own traditions and hospitality.  However, starting early tomorrow morning, I leave the Macedonian traditions behind and head east for a conference in Bulgaria. 

My host mother and her culinary work of art

Lamb for Easter supper