EASTER

 

EASTER

With God's help, we have reached these days of great importance! The day of the resurrection, the day the world was reborn. Easter is the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, it is the moment of man's passing from death to life. Christians celebrate Easter in remembrance of salvation from the bondage of sin and death.

The foresters, like the other Christians, consider Easter the most important Christian holiday because on this day Jesus Christ rose. The holy and sacred character of this day is given, first of all, by the specific formula of the greeting: "Christ is risen!" and the answer, “He is risen indeed!” Also, people from Padurenime call the pieces of bread soaked in wine - "Pasti", resulting from cutting the Easter bread, after being put in the church on Holy Thursday. This mixture is received by every villager on the night of the Resurrection or waited for it on the morning of Easter with a cup in which the mix will be placed. Usually, every year it is the turn of a family from the community to put the Pasti, as they say, these being called "Pasteri". The respective family or families contribute to the order of the church for a year long.

In the past, two or three men chosen from the "pasteri", stayed in front of the altar doors, each carrying under his left arm an Easter pot, bread soaked in wine, and in his right hand a spoon with which they take Easter from that pot and offer it to everyone in the church. Those who enjoy a special prestige in the village are invited to serve themselves. Every man, young or old, receives at least three tablespoons of Easter. Whoever offers says, "Christ is risen!" And the recipient answers: "Truly he is risen!" After receiving the Pasti, the mentioned formulas are repeated three times in a row. It is perhaps the most emotional and sacred religious moment of the Easter celebration. People are quietly waiting for this ritual to take place, this moment with a high degree of sacredness. The new clothes in which each person shows up at church, the red eggs, the incessant ringing of the bells create festive moments that have no equivalent in any other religious holiday of the year.

Only those who are sick, in bed, or on the road do not come to church on this day. For them, Easter bread and wine are sent home in a glass or jug, vessels brought especially by a woman from the family of the absent. Today, little of the tradition of this day is preserved. On Easter day after the service, the women gave alms from their dishes cooked with love at home to those in need. The villagers who came to church for Easter took great care to be very clean and well dressed. In the villages in the valley, with running water, some families who had their house near the water, urged their children to bathe, although the water was very cold, with the belief that bathing today has a purifying role, driving away diseases, more especially the bugs that were often made on children.

But the biggest concern for clothing was the older girls. "At Easter, the girls had to have a new cloth shirt to make hemp next summer." Thus, some girls, helped by their mother, worked on the preparation of the costume even on the night of the Resurrection: "My daughter worked all night, until Easter morning, to put on her  new shirt."

In fact, in the past, in Tinutul Padurenilor, the Resurrection service was held very rarely, once every six, seven years, or even less often, because the priest still had about six, seven villages in the parish. So, this job was done by rotation, each village having its turn after a certain number of years.

A custom from Tinutul Padurenilor, from the elders, on the night of the Resurrection, the boys set fire to the cemetery. The custom was maintained until a few years ago in the village of Lelese. "The boys gathered in the village, as many as there were, until the age of leaving for the army, each brought a piece of wood, a drum, and set fire to the cemetery. The fire had to burn all night, it was not allowed to go out in the cemetery or at home, as on Christmas night, so that nothing bad would happen in the house. ”But the boys were looking forward to Easter to they went up to the church tower, where they rang the bells and rang the bell, "so that they may do well all year round." And the girls were allowed to climb the tower on this day.

After everyone "took" Easter bread and wine, after the bells were rung by those who wanted and had the necessary strength, after the red eggs, painted in onion peel, collided, they returned home, where they participated, with the whole family, in the festive meal.  At this meal the weight of the dishes was red eggs and dairy products. In the middle of the table was the pastry, a ritual bread, specially made, decorated with braids also made of dough, having on top, right in the middle, a red egg that was also baked with the dough. Interestingly, until the interwar period most the foresters did not cut the Easter lamb.

After the festive meal, all the villagers, but especially the young people, gathered in a certain place in the village which was to be as smooth as possible. Here, various sports games were played, first of all, but often the most insightful winner came out. The boys played Ţurca (game similar to oina) and Porcul (game similar to golf) and the girls Piul. Also for this day, the tutu or hinte (swing, seesaw) was arranged and the boys and girls were given (swayed) in them. The other villagers attended these competitions and had fun. The dance was not performed on Easter Sunday: it was considered that the one who would dare to play on this holy day would commit a great sin. Instead, it was played over the next two days: Monday and Tuesday. Younger boys and girls aged 12-13 were looking forward to these days, as they were now entering the game for the first time.

Many of the traditional customs have changed lately; only the old women go to church dressed in the traditional dress, everyone else dresses according to the urban fashion. After ringing the bells, the boys now gather at the football field, improvised, of course, two teams are formed and they play football. The girls play volleyball or watch the boys play, walk in groups or sit at home watching TV. The Easter meal has become very consistent: in every household lamb is cut, some even cut calf. The share in this meal now has meat prepared in different forms: stew, soup, stew, steak, etc.

The first Sunday after Easter is called for the foresters: Little Easter (Tomii Sunday). The difference from other Sundays is that "eggs are reddened again for this day", and people continue to use the Easter greeting: "Christ is risen!", "Truly he is risen!".

Let us thank God that we have become healthy on this beautiful day and may the Easter holidays give us the peace of mind we need spiritually. Let us enjoy this holiday in the heart of the family and let us pray to the Lord to help us at every step! God help!