Paskha or Pascha (Russian: Пасха, "Easter") is a festal dish made in Eastern Orthodox countries of those foods which are forbidden during the fast of Great Lent. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians It is made during Holy Week and then brought to church on Great Saturday to be blessed after the Paschal Vigil. Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter. The Paschal cycle in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches is the cycle of the Moveable feasts built around Pascha (Easter The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration The name of the dish comes from Pascha, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Easter. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world
Paskha is a traditional Easter dish made from curd (farmer's cheese, cottage cheese, etc. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Curd is a Dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating Milk with Rennet or an edible Acidic substance such as Lemon juice Farmer cheese (also farmer's cheese or farmers' cheese) is a simple Cheese often used for fillings in Blintzes and other foods Cottage cheese is a Cheese Curd product with a mild flavor It is drained but not pressed so some Whey remains ), which is white, symbolizing the purity of Christ, the Paschal Lamb, and the joy of the Resurrection. This article concerns itself with Jesus Christ Christian, Islamic and other religious interpretations of resurrection in general
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, pascha is usually molded in the form of a truncated pyramid (a symbol of the Church; also said to represent the Tomb of Christ). See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure A pyramid is a Building where the upper surfaces are triangular and converge on one point The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos It is traditionally made in a wooden mould assembly called пасочница (pasotchnitza) that can be taken apart for cleaning; but more modern materials, such as plastics, are used nowadays.
The pascha is decorated with traditional relgious symbols, such as the "Chi Ro" motif, a three-bar cross, the letters X and B (Cyrillic letters standing for Христосъ Воскресe which is the Slavonic form of the traditional Paschal greeting: "Christ is Risen!"), eggs, and a lance, all symbolizing Christ's Passion and Resurrection. The Labarum (☧ was a military standard that displayed the first two Greek letters of the word " Christ " ( Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ or Χριστός The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the universal Religious symbol of Christianity. The Cyrillic alphabet (səˈrɪlɪk also called azbuka, from the old name of the first two letters is actually a family of Alphabets, subsets of which are used by Church Slavonic (also Church Slavic, Old Bulgarian) is the Liturgical language of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox The Paschal greeting is an Easter custom among Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians as well as among several An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals consisting of an Ovum surrounded by layers of Membranes and an outer casing which acts to nourish The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different Pole weapons based on the Spear. This article describes the Christian Passion For other meanings see Passion. Within the body of Christian beliefs the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend
In addition to the main ingredient (the curd), additional ingredients, such as butter, eggs, sour cream, raisin, almonds, vanilla, spices, and candied fruits can be used. Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Smetana is a Russian loanword in English for a Dairy product, that is produced by Souring heavy cream Raisins are dried Grapes They are produced in many regions of the world such as the United States, Australia, Chile, The Almond ( Prunus dulcis, syn Prunus amygdalus Batsch Amygdalus communis L Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. A spice is a dried Seed, Fruit, Root, Bark or vegetative substance used in Nutritionally insignificant quantities as a Food additive thumb|right|Candied orange peel Candied fruit or Glacé fruit also known as crystallized fruit, has been around since the 14th century
The paskha can be either cooked or uncooked (raw). Cooked pascha is made in the form of an egg custard, to which the remaining ingredients are folded in. Custard is a range of preparations based on Milk and eggs thickened with heat An uncooked pascha is made simply of the raw curd and the other ingredients mixed together at room temperature. Since uncooked curd cannot be conserved for a long period of time, these paschas are typically made smaller.
The curd is first pressed in order to eliminate the maximum amount of liquid possible, then put twice through a sieve to make a homogenous mass. Pressure (symbol 'p' is the force per unit Area applied to an object in a direction perpendicular to the surface If the pascha is cooked, this mass is then heated. The pan containing the mixture is then placed in a container of cold water and progressively cooled, then placed in the pasotchnitza with a layer of cheese cloth protecting the mould. In Chemistry, a mixture is a substance made by combining two or more different materials without a chemical reaction occurring (the objects do not bond together Cheesecloth is a loosewoven Cotton Cloth used in Cheese making such as to press cheese curds for Poutine. The mould is cooled for twelve hours in a cold, but not freezing, place (typically in a cellar or refrigerator). A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the Ground floor. A refrigerator (often called a " fridge " for short is a cooling appliance comprising a thermally insulated compartment and a Heat pump - Finally, the mould is removed and the paskha put on a dish. It may then be decorated with candied fruits, nuts, or flowers.
The pascha (or at least a portion of it) will be placed in an Easter basket together with other festal foods, and taken to church to be blessed. Pascha is traditionally accompanied by a rich Easter bread called Kulich. In many European countries there are various traditions surrounding the use of bread during the Easter holiday Kulich Russian кулич meaning "easter cake" is a kind of Easter bread, traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith — Russia, Belarus,
An 18th-century church in St. Petersburg is known as "Kulich and Paskha", because the rotunda of the church resembles kulich, while the adjacent belfry has a pyramidal form reminiscent of paskha (photographs here). Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Kulich Russian кулич meaning "easter cake" is a kind of Easter bread, traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith — Russia, Belarus,
(Russian) Various paskha recipes