Paskha Means Easter

On coming Sunday the Russian Orthodox Church is celebrating its most important Holiday - Paskha (Easter). It's realy symbolic that my last blog is devoted to Russian Easter. The last week before Paskha Russians call Holy Week. Each day of this week has its own meaning reflecting the last days of God' s life on the Earth. This week on Thursday the special service is performed in the Church when Russian Christians can ask for forgiveness, confess in their sins and recieve communion, and with the pure conscience start preparing to meet Paskha. Paskha is also a dessert, a sort of cheesecake, which is traditionally eaten on Easter. The word "pasqua" is actually of Jewish origin, meaning passing with Christ to the other life, or deliverance from death. The Russian Easter church service starts the night before. According to the ritual all Christians when meet each other during 40 days after Easter say: "Khristos voskrese!" ( Christ is risen!), and the other person answers: " Voistinu voskrese!"( He is risen indeed!). All Paskha week celebratory tables are full of different dishes, including meat, eggs and other items which were forbidden during 48 days of the Lent. For the Easter celebration there are more people in churches than usual. For me Paskha is a new life.