"diameter. Kulich is a kind of Easter bread that is traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith and is eaten in countries like Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia. Traditionally after the Easter service, the kulich, which has been put into a basket and decorated with colorful flowers, is blessed by the priest. Blessed kulich is eaten before breakfast each day. Any leftover kulich that is not blessed is eaten with Paskha for dessert. Kulich is baked in tall, cylindrical tins (like coffee or fruit juice tins). When cooled, kulich is decorated with white icing (which slightly"
"called in Russian and Ukranian languages ""па́ска"" (""páska""/""Paskha""). The word is connected to ancient Greek word ""πάσκα"" (""páska"") and Georgian: ""პასკა"" (""Easter""), derived from the Orthodox believers in Byzantine Empire. The name is connected to the Jewish holiday of ""Pesach."" Paska is made with milk, butter, eggs, flour, and sugar, except in Romania, where the recipe most commonly includes sweet cream, cottage cheese, and/or sour cream along with eggs, sugar, raisins, and rum. An egg and water mixture is used as a glaze. The Christian faithful in many Eastern Christian countries eat this bread during Easter. Christian symbolism is associated"
"held as part of Strumica's Carnival celebrations. Maslenitsa (, also called ""Pancake Week"" or ""Cheese Week"") is a Russian folk holiday that incorporates some pagan traditions. It is celebrated during the last week before Lent. The essential element is bliny, Russian pancakes, popularly taken to symbolize the sun. Round and golden, they are made from the rich foods allowed that week by the Orthodox traditions: butter, eggs, and milk. (In the tradition of Orthodox Lent, the consumption of meat ceases one week before that of milk and eggs.) Maslenitsa also includes masquerades, snowball fights, sledding, swinging on swings, and sleigh"
"Paskha Paskha (also spelled ""pascha"", or ""pasha""; ; ; ""Easter"") is a festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries which consists of food that is forbidden during the fast of Great Lent. It is made during Holy Week and then brought to Church on Great Saturday to be blessed after the Paschal Vigil. The name of the dish comes from Pascha, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter. Besides Russia, Ukraine, etc., pasha is also often served in Finland. Cheese paskha is a traditional Easter dish made from quark (curd cheese, ), which is white, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the"
"Paska (bread) Paska (Russian, Ukrainian: Пáска ""Easter"", Georgian: პასკა ""Easter"", ultimately from ""Passover"") is a Easter bread tradition and particularly spread in countries with predominant Eastern Orthodox religion or cultural connections to the ancient Byzantine Empire. Paska breads are a traditional element in the easter holidays of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Romania, Moldova, Georgia and parts of Bulgaria as well as the Assyrian–Chaldean–Syriac diaspora. Due to its geographical closeness, it is also widespread in Slovakia. Meanwhile it is also eaten in countries with immigrant populations from Eastern Europe such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Easter is"
"drizzles down the sides) and colorful flowers. Historically, it was often served with cheese paska bearing the symbol XB (from the traditional Easter greeting of ""Христос воскресе"", ""Christ is Risen""). Kulich is only eaten between Easter and Pentecost. The recipe for kulich is similar to that of Italian panettone. Paskha is a festive dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries which consists of food that is forbidden during the fast of Great Lent. It is made during Holy Week and then brought to Church on Great Saturday to be blessed after the Paschal Vigil. The name of the dish comes from"
"Pascha, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter. Cheese paskha is a traditional Easter dish made from quark (curd cheese, ), which is white, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the Paschal Lamb, and the joy of the Resurrection. It is formed in a mould, traditionally in the shape of a truncated pyramid (a symbol of the Church; this form is also said to represent the Tomb of Christ). It is usually served as an accompaniment to a rich Easter bread called paska in Ukrainian and kulich in Russian. The pascha is decorated with traditional religious symbols, such as the ""Chi Ro"""
"Maslenitsa Maslenitsa (, , ; also known as Butter Week, Crepe week, or Cheesefare Week) is an Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday, celebrated during the last week before Great Lent, that is, the eighth week before Eastern Orthodox Pascha (Easter). Maslenitsa corresponds to the Western Christian Carnival, except that Orthodox Lent begins on a Monday instead of a Wednesday, and the Orthodox date of Easter can differ greatly from the Western Christian date. According to archeological evidence from 2nd century A.D. Maslenitsa may be the oldest surviving Slavic holiday. Maslenitsa has its origins in the pagan tradition. In Slavic"
"Christmas in Russia Christmas in Russia ( ""Rozhdestvo Khristovo"", in the Russian Orthodox Church called Е́же по пло́ти Рождество Господа Бога и Спа́са нашего Иисуса Христа) is celebrated on December 25 (Julian calendar) which falls on 7 January (Gregorian calendar) and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is considered as a high holiday by the Russian Orthodox Church, one of the 12 Great Feasts, and of only 4 Feasts preceded by a period of fasting. On Christmas Eve (6 January), there are several long services, including the Royal Hours and Vespers combined with the Divine Liturgy. The family will"
"Kulich Kulich (, from Greek κόλλιξ - ""kollix"", Georgian პასკა - ""Paska"", ultimately meaning a roll or loaf of bread) is a Russian and Orthodox Easter bread that has its roots in the Byzantine Empire and is a traditional part of countries with Orthodox Christian population. It is eaten in countries like Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia. Kulich is a variant of Ukrainian, Russian and Belarus paska Easter breads.""￼￼"" Traditionally after the Easter service, the kulich, which has been put into a basket and decorated with colorful flowers, is blessed by the priest. Blessed kulich is"
"as state and obligatory"". After having considered the complaint, the court rejected it on the grounds that decisions about public holidays are within the competence of the Russian Parliament and are not a constitutional matter. Christmas in Russia Christmas in Russia ( ""Rozhdestvo Khristovo"", in the Russian Orthodox Church called Е́же по пло́ти Рождество Господа Бога и Спа́са нашего Иисуса Христа) is celebrated on December 25 (Julian calendar) which falls on 7 January (Gregorian calendar) and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is considered as a high holiday by the Russian Orthodox Church, one of the 12 Great Feasts,"
"different traditional Russian ""Paska"" Easter breads. ""Kolach"" is a traditional Czech bread made at Christmas in the shape of a ring. Usually, three rings are stack on top of each other to represent the Holy Trinity. Ukrainian Easter breads are also called ""￼￼Paska￼￼,￼￼￼￼"" where often a rich, white bread is served and decorated on the top with symbols, including crosses, flowers, braids, wheat, or other designs representing aspects of Orthodox and Eastern Catholic faith. ""Babka"" is also a Ukrainian, Polish and Belarusian bread also made at Easter. Rather than being broad and round, like ""Paska"", ""babka"" typically is tall and"
"In Iran and the diaspora, Assyrians will eat a Paska cake on Easter, ""Ida Gura"". The tall cake is decorated with a cross on top to represent Calvary, the place of Jesus' crucifixion, and surrounded with colored eggs to symbolize the people who visited Jesus during his death and were at his cross. Pască is a traditional Romanian and Moldovan pastry. Pască is composed with eggs, sour cream, fresh cheese like urdă, raisins and sugar, and is especially made for Easter. The word ""Pască"" come from Latin, ""Pascha"", meaning ""Easter"". Paska (bread) Paska (Russian, Ukrainian: Пáска ""Easter"", Georgian: პასკა ""Easter"","
"in calendar and in popularity. Russian New Year traditions resemble those of the Western Christmas, with New Year Trees and gifts, and Ded Moroz (Father Frost) playing the same role as Santa Claus. Rozhdestvo (Orthodox Christmas) falls on 7 January, because Russian Orthodox Church still follows the Julian (old style) calendar and all Orthodox holidays are 13 days after Catholic ones. Another two major Christian holidays are Paskha (Easter) and Troitsa (Trinity), but there is no need to recognize them as public holidays since they are always celebrated on Sunday. Further Russian public holidays include Defender of the Fatherland Day"
"Radonitsa Radonitsa (Russian Радоница, ""Day of Rejoicing""), also spelled Radunitsa, Radonica, or Radunica, in the Russian Orthodox Church is a commemoration of the departed observed on the second Tuesday of Pascha (Easter) or, in some places (in south-west Russia), on the second Monday of Pascha. The Slavs, like many ancient peoples, had a tradition of visiting family members' graves during the springtime and feasting together with them. After their conversion to Christianity, this custom transferred into the Russian Orthodox Church as the festival of ""Radonitsa"", the name of which comes from the Slavic word ""radost'"", meaning ""joy."" In Kievan Rus'"
"will then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve ""Holy Supper"", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honor each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the ""всеночная"" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the ""заутренняя"" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. Since 1992 Christmas has become a national holiday in Russia, as part of the ten-day holiday at the start of every new year. During the Soviet period, religious celebrations were discouraged by the officially atheist state. Christmas tree and related celebrations were gradually eradicated after the October Revolution. In 1935,"
"population celebrate Easter by making traditional Easter cakes, coloured eggs and paskha. Islam is the second largest religion in Russia after Russian Orthodoxy. It is the traditional or predominant religion amongst some Caucasian ethnicities (notably the Chechens, the Ingush and the Circassians), and amongst some Turkic peoples (notably the Tatars and the Bashkirs). Buddhism is traditional in three regions of the Russian Federation: Buryatia, Tuva, and Kalmykia. According to various reports, the proportion of not religious people in Russia is between 16% and 48% of the population. According to recent studies, the proportion of atheists has significantly decreased over the"
"Sunday. Russian New Year traditions resemble those of the Western Christmas, with New Year Trees and gifts, and Ded Moroz (Father Frost) playing the same role as Santa Claus. Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7, because the Russian Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar, and all Orthodox holidays are 13 days after Western ones. Two other major Christian holidays are Easter and Trinity Sunday. Kurban Bayram and Uraza Bayram are celebrated by Russian Muslims. Further Russian public holidays include Defender of the Fatherland Day (February 23), which honors Russian men, especially those serving in the army; International Women's Day"
"with handmade noodles (""iushka z zaterkoiu""), cheese turnovers (""pyrizhky syrom""), roast pork, buckwheat cakes served with eggs and cheese (""blyntsi""), and baked kasha. The earliest possible date is May 10 (as in 1818 and 2285). The latest possible date is June 13 (as in 1943 and 2038). The day of Pentecost is seven weeks after Easter Sunday: that is to say, the fiftieth day after Easter inclusive of Easter Sunday. Pentecost may also refer to the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost Sunday inclusive of both. Because Easter itself has no fixed date, this makes Pentecost a moveable feast. While"
"Pascha"") because those who for honorable reason were not able to attend the Paschal Vigil, may attend services on this day instead. Pascha is a unique feast in the church year; being the ""Feast of Feasts"" it follows a format unlike any other day. Those liturgical elements normal to a Great Feast of the Lord which were displaced by Pascha's unique elements are instead chanted on Thomas Sunday. Radonitza (Russian: ""Day of Rejoicing""), is a day of commemoration of the departed. Because the celebration of any memorial service for the departed is forbidden from Holy Thursday through Thomas Sunday, a"
"only 1 and 2 January were public holidays. Christmas in Russia (Рождество Христово ""Rozhdestvo Khristovo"") is celebrated, on 25th December Julian calendar which falls on January 7th Gregorian calendar and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. The public holiday was re-established in 1991, following the decades of suppression of religion and state atheism of the Soviet Union. The Defender of the Fatherland Day (День защитника Отечества ""Den zashchitnika Otechestva"") is celebrated on 23 February and is dedicated to veterans and members of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, though it is often colloquially known as Men's Day (День Мужчин,"
"French astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared special French food with station crew. Pesquet also made a Christmas-time special video for the ESA. Christmas on the International Space Station Christmas on the International Space Station covers the celebration of Christmas on the International Space Station. Christmas is celebrated each year by the International Space Station crew, their families, and ground-staff. Crew are given time off duty according to their respective culture, religion/faith and ethnicity. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar, whilst the Catholic Church and the various Protestant denominations use the Gregorian calendar so the crew may"
"Polesye, straddling the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, the same steaming-hot dishes, including borscht, are given as an offering to the souls of deceased ancestors during the annual semi-pagan remembrance ceremony known as "" or Forefathers' Night. In Poland and Ukraine, borscht is usually one of the dishes served at a Christmas Eve dinner. Celebrated after the first star has appeared in the sky on December 24 (Roman Catholic) or January 6 (Greek Catholic), it is a meal which is at the same time festive and fasting, a multicourse affair (traditionally, with twelve distinct dishes) that excludes ingredients of land-animal origin. Christmas Eve"
"mythology, Maslenitsa is a sun-festival, personified by the ancient god Volos, and a celebration of the imminent end of the winter. In the Christian tradition, Maslenitsa is the last week before the onset of Great Lent. During the week of Maslenitsa, meat is already forbidden to Orthodox Christians, and it is the last week during which eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products are permitted, leading to its name of ""Cheese-fare week"" or ""Crepe week"". The most characteristic food of Maslenitsa is ""bliny"" thin pancakes or crepes, made from the rich foods still allowed by the Orthodox tradition that week:"
"from German ""Fastnacht"" - hunger night). Elsewhere, it is also called Lastavāgs, Aizgavēnis, Miesmetis, Buduļi Eve, and Pie Day. Lithuanians call it ""užgavėnės"", while Estonians call it ""vastlapäev"". To Russians and other Orthodox Christian peoples this festival is known as Maslenitsa (Russian: ""Масленица"", ""Belorussian"": масьленіца, ""Ukrainian"": масниця). Elsewhere in Europe and America, this festival coincides with the carnival time and referred to as Shrove Tuesday (French: ""Mardi Gras"", German: ""Fastnachtsdienstag"", Italian: ""Martedì grasso"", English: ""Shrove Tuesday"" ) or """"Pancake Day"""". In Latin countries, it is called ""carnival"", ""carnaval"" or ""meat balls"", and it is the holiday of overeating, after which"
"okroshka. Smetana (a heavy sour cream) is often added to soups and salads. Most popular dumplings are pirozhki, pelmeni, varenyky and Turkic manti. One of the most popular are foods are blini, which are like syrniki native types of Russian pancakes. Furthermore, Cutlets (like Chicken Kiev) and shashlyk are popular meat dishes, the last one being of Tatar and Caucasus. origin respectively. Popular salads include Russian Salad, vinaigrette and Dressed Herring. One of the main characteristics of Russian food culture are Zakuski, which define a Russian-laid table. There are eight public holidays in Russia. The New Year is the first"
"for Christmas, as well as other holidays, and included both closed and open style pirogi (pirozhki, vatrushkas, coulibiacs, kurnik, boats, saechki, shangi), kalachi, cooked casseroles, and blini. Fillings of every flavor were included (herbal, vegetable, fruit, mushrooms, meat, fish, cheese, mixed). Sweet dishes served on the Russian Christmas table included berries, fruit, candy, cakes, angel wings, biscuits, honey. Beverages included drinking broths (kompot and sweet soups, sbiten), kissel, and, from the beginning of the 18th century, Chinese tea. In 1999, atheist MV Agbunov requested that the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation tested the constitutionality of decrees on the recognition"
"Armenian Gregorians and various Protestant churches also exist. The Russian Orthodox Church was the country's state religion prior to the Revolution and remains the largest religious body in the country. An estimated 95% of the registered Orthodox parishes belong to the Russian Orthodox Church while there are a number of smaller Orthodox churches. However, the vast majority of Orthodox believers do not attend church on a regular basis. Easter is the most popular religious holiday in Russia, celebrated by a large segment of the Russian population, including large numbers of those who are non-religious. More than three-quarters of the Russian"
"of 7 January as a federal holiday. This request was denied by the court based on the argument that ""the specified statutory provisions apply to the law on public holidays days ..., and do not contain provisions indicating the violation of constitutional rights and freedoms referred to by the applicant. (Articles 14, 19, 28 and 29 (part 2) of the Constitution of Russia)"". In 2008, a neo-pagan group filed a similar complaint. The group argued that the fact that Orthodox Christmas is an official holiday is contrary to the Constitution of Russia, according to which ""no religion can be established"
"eaten before breakfast each day. Any leftover kulich that is not blessed is eaten with Paskha for dessert. Kulich is baked in tall, cylindrical tins (like coffee or fruit juice tins). When cooled, kulich is decorated with white icing (which slightly drizzles down the sides) and colorful flowers. Historically, it was often served with cheese paska bearing the symbol XB (from the traditional Easter greeting of ""Христос воскресе"", ""Christ is Risen""). Kulich is only eaten between Easter and Pentecost. The recipe for kulich is similar to that of Italian panettone. Kulich Kulich (, from Greek κόλλιξ - ""kollix"", Georgian პასკა"
"themes anticipate the Resurrection of Jesus, showing him as master over death. On this day wine and oil are allowed (and, in the Russian tradition, caviar), lightening the fast by one degree. Palm Sunday is considered one of the Great Feasts of the Lord, and is celebrated with fish, wine and oil, the lightest degree of fasting, in observance of the festival. Because it is a Great Feast of the Lord, the normal resurrectional elements of the Sunday services are omitted. However, some of these resurrectional elements are found in the Lazarus Saturday service. Holy Week is referred to as"
"then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve ""Holy Supper"", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honour each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the ""всенощная"" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the ""заутренняя"" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. Since 1992 Christmas has become a national holiday in Russia, as part of the ten-day holiday at the start of every new year. In Russia, the Christmas holiday has become the official celebration with the baptism of Rus' ordered by Prince Vladimir in the late 10th century. However, given the early"
"Russian Church also celebrates the anniversary of the consecration of the Church of St George in Kiev by Yaroslav the Wise (1051) on November 26 (Julian calendar), which currently falls on December 9. One of the Russian forms of the name George being ""Yuri"", the two feasts are popularly known as ""Vesenniy Yuriev Den"" (Yuri's Day in the Spring) and ""Osenniy Yuriev Den"" (Yuri's Day in the Autumn). Đurđevdan Saint George's Day (/, ; ""Gerg’ovden""; , ""Ǵurǵovden""; , ""Yegóriy Véshniy, Yuriev Den Vesenniy"", ""George's [day] in spring"") is a Slavic religious holiday, the feast of Saint George celebrated on 23"