russiangrammar:

Happy Easter/С праздником Пасхи!

Apologies, this post comes a day late, but Happy Easter/С праздником Пасхи!

Easter is an important occasion in Russia, celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church according to the Orthodox calendar. The celebrations happen in April or May.

Russians celebrate Easter with decorated eggs, festive food and customs.

The origin of the Russian Easter egg goes back to pre-Christian times, when eggs were seen as symbols of fertility. When Orthodoxy was adopted, eggs were given a Christian association: for example, red eggs (крашенки), as shown in the picture above, symbolise the blood of Christ.

(Пасхальный) кулич is a sort of bread typically eaten in Easter:

As is пасха, a dish made from cheese and other ingredients, formed into a pyramidal shape.

The letters ‘XB’ stand for ‘Христос воскрес’ (Christ is risen).

Russian Easter service is held Saturday evening (Великая Суббота, Holy Saturday); at midnight, the bells are rung and the priest says, ‘Христос воскрес!’ (‘Christ is risen!’), to which the congregation replies, ‘Воистину воскрес!’ (‘He is truly risen!’).

Sources:

http://www.transparent.com/russian/

http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/russia/a/easterinrussia.htm

Images:

http://www.transparent.com/russian/

http://chrislinda.forum2x2.ru/t1161-topic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paskha_(meal)