MUSIC SATURDAY - A RUSSIAN EASTER

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine.” - Dwight L. Moody 

The St. Petersburg Chamber Choir and their director, Nikolai Korniev, show off subbasement basses, soaring sopranos and a rich, well-blended sound in “Russian Easter”, a group of eleven settings for Easter worship by Alexander Grechaninov, Dmitri Bortnyansky and other masters of Russian church music. The compositions were written variously from the 18th century through the present, but all stay true to the spirit and aesthetic of the Orthodox tradition. Those who find plainchant a little on the monotonous side but are still looking for a spiritual element in music will find much to admire and enjoy in these beautifully sung presentations.

1. 00:00 Alleluia. Behold The Bridegroom (Anon. XVIII cent.)
2. 05:08 Gentle Light (Viktor Kallinikov)
3. 08:14 Of Thy Mystical Supper, Op. 58 (Alexander Grechaninov)
4. 14:34 The Wise Thief, Op. 40 No. 3 (Pavel Chesnokov)
5. 17:04 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent, Op. 27 No. 1 (Pavel Chesnokov)
6. 21:24 In the Flesh Thou Didst Fall Asleep (Hieromonk Jonathan)
7. 24:34 The Paschal Hours (Pavel Chesnokov)
8. 39:04 Paschal Hymns To The Virgin (Pavel Chesnokov)
9. 43:04 Today All Creation (Stephan Dekhteryov)
10. 48:46 Concerto No. 5: Come, O People (Concerto No. 5) (Dmitri Bortnyansky)
11. 55:24 Give Ear To My Prayer, Op. 26 (Alexander Grechaninov)

HAPPY EASTER!

FOOD FRIDAY - GREEK EASTER SWEET LOAF

“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” - Janine di Giovanni

It’s Easter and as is traditional in Greek households we have done our traditional baking of Easter cookies, sweet Easter loaf, the dyeing of eggs red and the preparations for the “mageiritsa” soup and the roast lamb for Easter Sunday. Here is the recipe for the sweet Easter loaf, which is considered a “difficult” baking project as while the loaf should be well baked, it should also be light, yielding, sweet, aromatic and full of textured “trails” of baked dough.

Tsoureki (Greek Sweet Easter Loaf)

Ingredients

180 mL water

100 mL milk

650 g plain flour (high gluten, “strong” flour”

1 tsp baking powder

15 g dry active yeast

2 large eggs

50 g unsalted butter (melted)

200 g caster sugar

40 mL invert syrup

Pinch salt

1/2 tsp ground mahlepi

1/2 tsp ground gum mastic

1/2 tsp cardamom

Extra egg for glazing

Blanched flaked almonds

Method

In the large mixer bowl, mix the lukewarm milk and water and dissolve in it about a third of the sugar and the salt. Add the yeast and mix well so that it dissolves. Leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes to ensure that the yeast is activated (bubbles will appear).

Add the rest of the sugar and invert syrup to the yeast mixture, the lightly beaten eggs, the spices, the butter and begin mixing with the dough hook.

Once the ingredients are well mixed, add the flour (into which you have mixed the baking powder) little by little and continue mixing with the dough hook with large speed until the (soft) dough adheres to the hook. Do not add extra flour.

Stop mixing and cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and place it in a warm place to rise.

Once the dough has doubled in size, place some melted butter on your hands and punch it down. Cut the dough into three equal lots and form three long slender rolls. Form the dough rolls into a plait and place on a buttered baking tray. Glaze with beaten egg and sprinkle with the blanched flaked almonds. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise.

Warm the oven to 160˚C and before placing the loaf to bake, place a fire-proof bowl filled with boiling water in the lowermost shelf. Bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme.

MUSIC SATURDAY - EASTER ORATORIO

“The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.” - Deepak Chopra

The Easter Oratorio (German: Oster-Oratorium), BWV 249, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, beginning with Kommt, eilet und laufet (“Come, hasten and run”). Bach composed it in Leipzig and first performed it on 1 April 1725.

The first version of the work was completed as a cantata for Easter Sunday in Leipzig on 1 April 1725, then under the title Kommt, gehet und eilet. It was named “oratorio” and given the new title only in a version revised in 1735. In a later version in the 1740s the third movement was expanded from a duet to a four-part chorus. The work is based on a secular cantata, the so-called “Shepherd Cantata” Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a which is now lost, although the libretto survives. Its author is Picander who is also likely the author of the oratorio’s text. The work is opened by two instrumental movements that are probably taken from a concerto of the Köthen period. It seems possible that the third movement is based on the concerto’s finale.

Unlike the Christmas Oratorio, the Easter Oratorio has no narrator but has four characters assigned to the four voice parts: Simon Peter (tenor) and John the Apostle (bass), appearing in the first duet hurrying to Jesus’ grave and finding it empty, meeting there Mary Magdalene (alto) and “the other Mary”, Mary Jacobe (soprano). The choir was present only in the final movement until a later performance in the 1740s when the opening duet was set partly for four voices. The music is festively scored for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, oboe d’amore, bassoon, two recorders, transverse flute, two violins, viola and continuo.

The oratorio opens with two contrasting instrumental movements, an Allegro concerto grosso of the full orchestra with solo sections for trumpets, violins and oboes, and an Adagio oboe melody over “Seufzer” motifs (sighs) in the strings. The first duet of the disciples was set for chorus in a later version, the middle section remaining a duet. Many runs illustrate the movement toward the grave. Saget, saget mir geschwinde, the aria of Mary Magdalene, is based on words from the Song of Songs, asking where to find the beloved, without whom she is “ganz verwaiset und betrübt” (completely orphaned and desolate), set in the middle section as Adagio, different from the original. The words are close to those opening Part Two of the St Matthew Passion. The final movement in two contrasting sections resembles the Sanctus composed for Christmas 1724 and later part of the Mass in B minor.

Here it is performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Lisa Larsson, Elisabeth von Magnus, Gerd Türk, Klaus Mertens, conductor Ton Koopman (Erato, 1998).

HAPPY EASTER!

FOOD FRIDAY - RUSSIAN PASHKA

“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” - Janine di Giovanni

Pashka is a Russian Easter traditional dessert, a sort of custardy cheesecake without the biscuit base, traditionally shaped in a pyramid mould. Pashka means Easter and the dessert may be decorated with the letters XB, from “Christos Voskres”, the Russian for “Christ is Risen”.

RUSSIAN PASHKA

Ingredients

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup granulated sugar

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 cups small-curd cream-style cottage cheese

1⁄4 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup chopped mixed candied fruit

1⁄3 cup finely chopped blanched almonds

cheesecloth

Method

Mix egg yolks and whipping cream in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the sugar and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just coats a metal spoon (about 12 to 15 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Place saucepan in cold water until custard is cool. If custard curdles, beat with hand beater until smooth.

Place 3 cups of the cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons of the butter in blender container. Cover and blend on medium speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, until smooth. Repeat with remaining cottage cheese and butter.

Stir custard into cheese mixture until smooth. Stir in candied fruit and almonds.

Line a 2-litre non-clay flower pot (or any form dish with opening in the bottom, like a flower pot has; a colander works well!) with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Pour cheese mixture into pot; fold ends of cheesecloth over top. Place pot on cake rack in shallow pan; place weights on top. Refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, pouring off any liquid that accumulates in pan. To serve, unmould onto serving plate; remove cheesecloth. Garnish as desired with additional candied fruit and blanched almonds. Refrigerate any remaining dessert.

Add your favourite recipes below using the Linky tool:

BACH'S ST JOHN PASSION

“It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui.” - Helen Keller

The St John Passion (German: Johannes-Passion), BWV 245, is a sacred oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. The original Latin title Passio secundum Johannem translates to “The Suffering According to John”. During the first winter that Bach was responsible for church music at the St. Thomas Church and the St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig, he composed the St John Passion for the Good Friday Vespers service of 1724.

The St John Passion is a dramatic representation of the Passion as told in the Gospel of John, constructed of dramatically presented recitatives and choruses, with commentary in reflective chorales, ariosos, and arias, framed by opening and final choruses, leading to a final chorale. Compared with the St Matthew Passion, the St John Passion has been described as more extravagant, with an expressive immediacy, at times more unbridled and less “finished”. The work is the oldest extant Passion by Bach, followed by the St Matthew Passion. A St Mark Passion has been reconstructed from parts recovered, but older Passions composed by Bach may have been lost.

Bach followed chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of John in the Luther Bible, and the tenor Evangelist follows exactly the words of that bible. The compiler of the additional poetry is unknown. Models are the Brockes Passion and a Johannes-Passion by Christian Heinrich Postel. The first scene is in the Kedron Valley, and the second in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas. Part Two shows three scenes, one with Pontius Pilate, one at Golgotha, and the third finally at the burial site. The dramatic argument between Pilate, Jesus, and the crowd is not interrupted by reflective elements but is a single central chorale.

The St John Passion is one of the crowning achievements of Western music and in terms of Bach’s oeuvre represents an intensely personal experience, bringing to life the humanity of the passion story. Combining raw viscerality with moments of exquisite intimacy, the music and text outline a deeply religious feeling without religiosity.

Here is the Johannes-Passion performed by Werner Güra, tenor; Layla Claire: soprano; Damien Guillon: countertenor; Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro: tenor; Konstantin Wolff: bass; Benoît Arnould: bass with the Ensemble et choeur Pygmalion, by Conducted by Raphaël Pichon.

MAUNDY THURSDAY & RED EGGS

“Wise is the soul whose heart bestows the beauty of brotherly love especially - in times most cold. For the blessing of unity, evokes strong will, as the power of spirit, heals and fulfills.” - Crystal Harris

Today is is Maundy Thursday, which is so called because Christ gave his disciples a new commandment (mandatum in Latin) on this day: “Love one another as I have loved you”.  Following Christ’s example on this day, kings, bishops and other figures of great authority, humble themselves and wash the feet of as many paupers as they had years of age.

Today is also the day the church commemorates the Last Supper. In the Christian faith, the Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his death. The meal is discussed at length in all four Gospels of the Bible. The meal is considered by most scholars likely to have been a Passover seder, celebrated on the Thursday night (Holy Thursday) before Jesus was crucified on Friday (Good Friday). This year, Jewish Passover is celebrated during the same time as the Western and Eastern Easter, so Happy Easter and Best Pesach Wishes! It is rarely that one gets agreement across all the major Judaeochristian faiths, so it is definitely something to note and celebrate…

The Greek Orthodox tradition dictates that Holy Thursday is the day that Easter eggs should be dyed red. The red colour symbolises joy, resurrection, hope, rebirth, but also has an apotropaic character. The shed blood of Christ is also another potent symbol associated with the red eggs. Concerning the colour red: When Christ was on the cross and His side was pierced by the soldier who wanted to confirm his death, drops of blood fell to the earth and all the flowers that were below became red. This is how tradition explains why Springtime poppies are red.

Legend says that one day, after the Resurrection of Christ, Mary Magdalene went to Tiberius Caesar to announce the Resurrection of the Lord. Next to them at that time there was a man carrying a basket of eggs. Tiberius showed puzzlement when he heard the news and said to Mary that if what she says is true, then the eggs in the man’s basket, which were white, should become red. So it happened, and Tiberius was persuaded.

The egg also symbolises the tomb of Christ, which was hermetically closed, like the shell of the egg, but concealed life within. The egg, as an ancient symbol of the genesis of the cosmos and the birth of life, is met with in many cults both primitive and more sophisticated around the world. In both folk-tale and mythological fantasy, the egg turns up as the symbol of life. It is associated with powerful animal magic and it was believed that this power could be transmitted to humans, animals and plants, hence its use in fertility rituals. Some theorise that the red dyed Easter eggs spread in Europe, Asia and China from an ancient calendrical custom while others consider their origin in ancient Egypt.

In Greek villages and towns, the first egg dyed red was taken and put next to an icon of the Virgin Mary. This protected the household and the egg could be used in a ritual to exorcise the evil eye from afflicted people. In some places in Greece, they put it in a box as many eggs as were members of the family, and when the family went to church in the evening, the eggs were put under the altar. The eggs were retrieved after the Resurrection liturgy and each member of the family took his own egg. These eggs were blessed and after the egg was consumed, its shell was buried in the gardens and near roots of trees to encourage growth and fertility. Eggs laid by chickens (especially a black hen) on Holy Thursday were considered especially powerful and had great apotropaic properties, ridding the household of any evil.

CALENDRICAL VAGARIES

“I don’t wait for the calendar to figure out when I should live life.” - Gene Simmons
 
Time has always fascinated human beings. The intangible and yet inexorable passage of the hours, the endless procession of the seasons, the death and regenerative cycles of crops and vegetation have necessitated the use of a calendar.  The farmer has to know when to sow his plants, the priest when to glorify his gods, the king when to lead his army to battle.  And so were born calendars, to keep time and to reckon the passage of the seasons and the years.  Each culture tried to solve the problem of time keeping and calendar construction in its own way and vestiges of these multiple calendars are still to be found around the world.  Currently, there are about 40 different calendrical systems in use worldwide, with about six widely used.  The Gregorian calendar is the most widespread, and by convention, used in most (if not all) secular activities around the world. This calendar is solar one and it is based on the ancient Roman calendar as modified by Pope Gregory XIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).
 
The solar year depends on the revolution of the Earth around the sun, each revolution taking 365.2422 days.  The tilt of the Earth’s axis is responsible for the seasons. At the same time, the moon has influenced the development of a calendar with each lunar cycle lasting for approximately 1/12 of the solar year. This has given rise to subdivision of the year into 12, sometimes 13 months.  The word month itself shows its close association with the word moon.  The ancient Greeks had a similar association: mén = “month”, méne = “moon”.
 
The Western calendar developed from the ancient Greek and Roman calendars.  The term calendar itself is derived from the Latin calenda meaning the first day of the month.  The ancient Roman calendar is the one that corresponds most closely to our own and was called the Julian Calendar as it was standardised by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. His Greek astronomer Sosigenes devised a 12-month calendar of 365 days, with a leap year of 366 days every four years. Each month had 30 or 31 days except for February, which was considered unlucky and hence had 29 days except every leap year when it had 30.  This was until Augustus Caesar renamed the old Roman month Sextilus after himself, in the process robbing February of a day in order to increase August’s 30 days to 31.
 
The Julian calendar assumed that the year lasted for exactly 365.24 days.  The real year was about 11 minutes and 14 seconds shorter than the Julian year and over the decades, the seconds and minutes added up to hours and days, making the real seasons drift away from the calendrical seasons.  After a few centuries, the Church began to find it difficult to set the moveable Church feasts such as Easter, which depend on the Vernal equinox.
 
Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 decided to remedy the situation, which by that time had led to a calendrical discrepancy a few days ahead of the seasonal calendar.  The Pope decreed that February would have 29 days in century years that could be divided evenly by 400 (e.g. 1600, 2000), but only 28 days in century years that could not be divided evenly by 400 (e.g. 1700, 1800, 1900).  Commencing in October 1582, ten days were dropped from the calendar in order to correct the discrepancy. The resulting calendar is the Western Gregorian Calendar in use throughout most countries around the world today.
 
Most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendrical reformations immediately after Pope Gregory’s modifications, and other Western nations followed suit soon after (e.g. France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg 1582).  As the Pope had no authority over the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Julian calendar persisted in its use in the countries where the Orthodox faith was the official state religion (e.g. Russia [adopting the Gregorian calendar in 1918], Rumania [1919], Bulgaria [1915], Greece [1923]).
 
Even when for practical reasons the Gregorian calendar was adopted by the laity, the religious feast days continued to be calculated according to the Julian Calendar.  This situation persists in some countries to this day.  Some of the Eastern Churches calculate all of their feast days according to the Julian Calendar (which is now 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar!).  For example, the Ukrainian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January.
 
Some other Orthodox Churches have adopted a more illogical practice.  They have embraced the Gregorian calendar for all “fixed festivals” (e.g. Christmas and the commemorative Feast Days of Saints) that recur on the same date every year.  However, when it comes to calculating the “moveable festivals” (e.g. Easter and all of the associated feasts such as Ash Wednesday, Ascension, Pentecost, etc), such Orthodox Churches use the Julian Calendar.  This leads to the curious situation of the Greek Orthodox and Catholic devotees celebrating Christmas together on the same date and Easter at different times.
 
Easter is an interesting example as the Paschal dates are calculated on the seasonal calendar, re-enforcing the fact that Easter is an old Spring fertility festival (Eostra was the name of the Celtic Spring goddess).  Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox on the 21st of March.  The dates of all other moveable feasts are calculated in connection with the date set for Easter in that year.  If there is no full moon between the Spring equinox calculated according to the Gregorian calendar and the Spring Equinox according to the Julian calendar, then Catholic and Orthodox Easter occur at the same time.  This happened in 1977, 1987, 1991, and will periodically recur until reason prevails and the Gregorian calendar is adopted universally.  An even more logical approach would be to specify Easter as always being celebrated on the third Sunday in April, for example. What a boon for time-tablers, schedulers and forward planners that would be!

HAPPY EASTER!

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” - Psalm 118:24
 
Easter Saturday and the day was devoted to going to church. We visited two Orthodox churches, one Russian and one Greek. Orthodox Easter is full of traditions and the liturgies of the Holy Week are quite moving.
 
Here is the Resurrection troparion (hymn), “Christos Anesti” – Christ is Risen. The troparion is first sung during the Paschal Vigil at the end of the procession around the church, which takes place at the beginning of Matins. When all are gathered before the church’s closed front door, the clergy and faithful take turns chanting the troparion.

The troparion in the original Greek:
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν,
θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας,
καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι,
ζωὴν χαρισάμενος!
 
Transliteration:
Christós anésti ek nekrón,
thanáto thánaton patísas,
ké tís en tís mnímasi,
zoín charisámenos!
 
A typical translation in English runs:
Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!

Happy Easter! Καλή Ανάσταση!

EASTER SATURDAY 2013

“Be thou comforted, little dog, Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.” - Martin Luther
 

For Music Saturday on this Easter Saturday, Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Easter Oratorio”, BWV 249. This oratorio also called “Kommt, eilet und laufet” (Come, hasten and run) was composed in Leipzig and first performed on 1 April 1725. The first version of the work was completed as a cantata for Easter Sunday in Leipzig on 1 April 1725, then under the title “Kommt, gehet und eilet”. It was named “oratorio” and given the new title only in a version revised in 1735. In a later version in the 1740s the third movement was expanded from a duet to a four-part chorus.
 

The work is unlike most of Bach’s major choral works (e.g. the masses, or even the Christmas oratorio) as is a “parody”. This means that it was based on the music for a pre-existing work, with new text set to make it fit the occasion. In this case a secular cantata, the so-called “Shepherd Cantata” (“Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen”, BWV 249a) was used,  which is now lost, although the libretto survives. Its author is Picander who is also likely the author of the oratorio's text.
 

The oratorio has no narrator but four conversing characters assigned to the four voice parts: Simon Peter (tenor) and John the Apostle (bass), appearing in the first duet hurrying to Jesus' grave and finding it empty, meeting there Mary Magdalene (alto) and "the other Mary", Mary Clopas (soprano). The choir was present only in the final movement until a later performance in the 1740s when the opening duet was set partly for four voices. The music is festively scored for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, oboe d’ amore, bassoon, two recorders, transverse flute, two violins, and basso continuo.
 

The work is opened by two contrasting instrumental movements that are probably taken from a concerto of the Köthen period. The oboe melody in the adagio is scored over “Seufzer” motifs (sighs) in the strings. The first duet of the disciples was set for chorus in a later version, the middle section remaining a duet. Many runs illustrate the movement toward the grave.
 

“Saget, saget mir geschwinde”, the aria of Mary Magdalene, is based on words from the Song of Songs, asking where to find the beloved, without whom she is completely orphaned and desolate. The words are close to those opening Part Two of the St Matthew Passion. The final movement in two contrasting sections resembles the Sanctus composed for Christmas 1724 and later part of the Mass in B minor.
 

Although this oratorio has never been as popular as other Bach cantatas and major church masterworks, it contains some lovely music (whatever its source) and it has a festive, bright air well-suited to the theme of resurrection.

GOOD FRIDAY 2013

“At the cross God wrapped his heart in flesh and blood and let it be nailed to the cross for our redemption.” - E. Stanley Jones
 
Good Friday is the most solemn and sorrowful day in the Christian calendar.  Traditionally, no work was done on this day of prayer and reflection. All Christians go to church to hear the recounting of Christ’s passion and mourn for His death on the cross.  Tools made of iron are not to be handled and especially so hammers and nails. This is so that one does not act out the crucifixion of Christ anew.  Even clothes are not to be washed on this day, because if they are, a member of the family will die. If clothes are hung out to dry they will be spotted with blood.  This belief is from the apocryphal story that relates of a washerwoman mockingly throwing dirty washing water on Christ on his way to Calvary. Parsley seed can be planted on this day, provided a wooden spade is used. Parsley was associated with death and funerals since the days of the ancient Greeks.
 
Hot Cross Buns are baked on this day in memory of the kindly woman who gave Christ some bread on His way to Calvary.  It is said that no bread or buns baked on this day will grow mouldy.
            Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs
            With one-a-penny, two-a-penny, Hot Cross Buns
            Whose virtue if you’ll believe what’s said
            They’ll not grow mouldy like ordinary bread.
 
Hot Cross Buns protect sailors from shipwreck and houses from fire. Good Friday bread should be dried and kept for if is soaked in milk and consumed will cure all sorts of stomach ailments.  On the other hand, Russian tradition and religious observance forbid baking on Good Friday. Here is a recipe for hot cross buns:
 
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
 
2 tsp dried instant yeast
500 g plain four
90 g sugar
300 mL milk
1tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
60 g butter
1 large egg
140 g sultanas
30 g mixed peel 
For the Crosses
2 tbsp self raising flour
2 tbsp cold water 
Glaze
4 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
150 ml boiling water
 
Method
Sift together flour, spices, salt and the add the yeast, stirring through to evenly distribute.
Warm the milk in a microwave and melt the butter into it.
In a separate bowl beat the egg.
Add the milk and butter mixture to the flour and mix thoroughly. Add the egg and mix well to form a dough.
Work in the dried fruit and peel.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it feels smooth and is no longer sticky (approx 10 mins).
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise.
Leave for an hour or until doubled in size.
Punch the dough down and then separate it into 12 equal portions.
Place the buns close together on a lightly greased baking tray.
Cover and allow to prove until doubled in size and very light (about another hour).
For the crosses: Mix the flour and water thoroughly to form a thick paste. Spoon into a plastic bag, cut a little hole out of the corner of the bag and use it to pipe the mixture in crosses on top of the buns.
Bake the topped buns at 220°C for 15–20mins.
For the glaze: Mix together all ingredients, dissolving the sugar in the boiling water. Brush over the buns lightly while still hot.
 

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

EASTER SATURDAY

“O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” – New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 15:55

Easter Saturday is always full of preparations for the great festival the next day. We did our shopping in the morning and then back home where we spent most of the day getting ready for the evening. Saturday night marks the most glorious liturgy in the Greek Orthodox faith with the vespers leading to the great service of the Resurrection, which begins at midnight.

Usually even non-religious Greeks will attend this glorious liturgy and just before midnight, will observe all the lights being put out in the church except for a lone holy flame burning in the holy of holies. From this ever-burning light the priest will light his Paschal candle and go out into the church and call out: “Come take the light!” The faithful light their own Paschal candles from this and soon the whole congregation that spills out into the surrounds of the church carry aloft their lit candles waiting for the priest to chant the resurrection message:

Χριστός Ανέστη εκ νεκρών,
θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας
και τοις εν τοις μνήμασιν,
ζωήν χαρισάμενος


Christ is risen from dead,
On death treading victorious,
And to those in the grave
He gives the gift of life.



Fireworks are let off, firecrackers lit, people kiss each other as red dyed eggs are cracked. Each greets the other with the Resurrections messages:
Χριστός Ανέστη! – “Christ is risen!”
Αληθώς Ανέστη! “Truly he is risen!”

When the liturgy finishes, everyone hurries home, carrying their lit candles, which they must take home unextinguished so that they bring the holy light of the Resurrection home, thus blessing it. As the head of the household enters the threshold, a cross is made on the lintel of the front door with the smoke of the candle. The Lenten fast is then broken with “mayirítsa”, the traditional rich soup made of lamb offal, dill, spring onions, all in a tart egg-and-lemon sauce. The rest of the lamb will be consumed the next day as it is roasted on the spit whole…

Καλό Πάσχα! - Happy Easter!