The origins of this majestic action should be sought back in pre-Christian times, when on March 22 our ancestors celebrated the most important day of spring - Easter. Solemnly celebrating the victory of the spring season over the winter season, each family baked Easter cakes and dyed eggs, which later turned into paska and krashenka, familiar to our ears.

Oddly enough, but the Jews also introduced this holiday into their calendar long before the flag of Christianity was hoisted on the horizon. This day marked their exit from Egyptian slavery. Actually, the very word "Passover", which originated from Hebrew, means "release, passage."

The main canons and rules for celebrating Easter began after the birth of Christ. The Ecumenical Council of Churches in 325 in Nicaea was convened mainly in order to determine the date of the celebration. They decided this: the holiday should take place on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. If the date coincides with the celebration of Easter among the Jews, then the Orthodox Easter is postponed a week later. These very specific canons are still followed today.

PALM SUNDAY
Sunday a week before Easter is called Palm Sunday. Since ancient times, people have been waiting for this day with special reverence.

The people gathered around the temple, the priest consecrated the willow branches. According to the Christian religion, when Jesus Christ entered biblical Jerusalem on a donkey, people covered the road with palm leaves in front of him. There are no palm trees in our latitudes, so they were replaced by willow.

Children were the first in the church to try to grab the willow seals, because whoever gets more will have a happy fate. Then the youth walked through the streets with cats and cracked each other, saying: “I won’t b’yu - willow b’є, It’s a great day for this week, Not far away is a red egg.”

"CLEAN" THURSDAY, GOOD FRIDAY AND THE LAST HOLIDAY PREPARATIONS
After Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins. It is difficult to overestimate its significance for believing Ukrainians. Each day has its own specific symbolism, but the most important countdown starts from Thursday, which is popularly called “clean”.

Since ancient times, in Ukrainian villages this day has been associated with farewell to everything old and the meeting of something new, bright. People throw out obsolete rubbish, whitewash houses, do the most general cleaning. It is believed that on this day the dead return to earth to celebrate the Nava Easter ("Easter of the dead", from "nava" - the afterlife). On the Sunday after Easter they return to Paradise.

Maundy Thursday is considered the day of spring cleansing. It has long been customary to clean the cattle, clean the stables and barns by sunrise. On this day, children were cut so that their hair would not climb and grow luxuriantly.

On Good Friday, it is “recommended” to refrain from loud music, swearing, and generally sort out your own thoughts.

On Saturday before Easter, the host's duties included preparing a basket for the consecration of dishes - it was washed and dried in the sun for a day, and in the evening it was filled with Easter goodies and decorated with a towel. Late in the evening it was customary to gather around the fire in the church backyard. The boys told fairy tales, legends and adventure stories.

EASTER. GASTRONOMIC AND PISANCAR CUSTOMS
Undoubtedly, it is customary to lay rich tables on Easter, so there are also many culinary holiday traditions.

Paskas themselves are usually baked on Thursday or Saturday. This process must certainly be accompanied by complete silence and tranquility in the house. Among those who do not have family customs of baking Easter cakes, Easter cakes, which are lined with store shelves, are still very popular. Confectioners demonstrate unsurpassed talents in the decoration of Easter cakes. Here you have candied fruits, and raisins, and almonds and icing, and chocolate, and other festive goodies.
Easter eggs are worthy of a separate word. The ornaments used in Easter eggs have very deep roots. Some of them originated in the steppes of the Black Sea region and are closely connected with the plots of hay. Pysanka was also considered an Easter symbol of love - girls gave the best of them to the guys, thus confessing their feelings. Also, a large number of children's fun and magical rituals were associated with Easter eggs.