In the morning of Easter, by tradition, the faithful return from church with the burning candle and blessed food. The candle will be kept thorough the year and will be lit in case of disease or anger. The people are allowed to eat food, such as Easter bread and cake, red painted eggs, lamb, salt and wine, only after these are blessed. The food taken to church on the Easter night is the symbol of revival and welfare, said folklore teacher Ala Bodlev-Tabaranu, of the Cahul State University “Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu”, being quoted by IPN.
Ala Bodlev-Tabaranu noted that tradition says the candle lit in the church should be brought home burning. When they get home, before sitting at the table, the faithful should wash their face with water in which there is a red-painted egg and a white egg and also a silver coin so as to be clean, healthy, ruddy and rich throughout the year. The faithful then sit at the table and, before eating, greet each other with “Christ is risen!” and “He is risen indeed!” One should eat an egg first as they say that this brings health during the year and then fish and poultry so as to be nimble as the fish and light as the bird.
The Christians paint the eggs red on Easter as the egg is considered a universal symbol of birth, while in the case of the Christian religion, it is considered the symbol of renaissance and eternity, forming part of the symbols of revival of nature and vegetation.
There are also many superstitions related to Easter. They say the Easter bread should be kept during a year and should be eaten in case of disease. For the Easter service, one should put on new clothes as they have a purifying role, as water does. One should not sleep on Easter as they will be sleepy throughout the year. They do not boil and do not paint eggs on the Easter day as this means danger of disease. Those who eat lamb should not throw the bones, but should bury them under an apple tree so as to be beautiful and healthy throughout the year, as the apple is. The egg shells are put on water so as inform the dead that Easter is coming. They say that those who knock eggs on Easter will meet in the other world and will recognize each other, stated Ala Bodlev-Tabaranu.
