Local families celebrate Russian Easter traditions
Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/39430/
The local chapter of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA) celebrated Easter in Gulley Park Sunday with traditional Russian holiday customs.
Debra Stinchcomb, an organizer of the Northwest Arkansas Chapter, and mother of an adopted child from Russia, said the celebration is a way for families to honor their children’s heritage. "Our goals are to teach families Russian traditions so they can carry on their child’s heritage, provide resources to families looking at adoption, and to provide social gatherings for families," Stinchcomb said.
Stinchcomb is the mother of four-year-old Nikolai, from Klabarovsk, Russia.
Families learned the Easter traditions of Russia Sunday, including the cracking of eggs together. One family member holds an egg while the other family member hits the egg with another egg. One of the eggs breaks and the one with the unbroken egg wins and has the opportunity to hit the eggs of other family members.
Family members say to each other, "Khristos voskres!" or "Christ is risen!" and they kiss three times and give Easter eggs to each other.
According to Stacy and Liudmila Strokova of Vladivostok, Russia, Easter is the most important celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Stacy Strokova said families bring their eggs and a cake called a "kulich" to church where the priest blesses them. The service lasts all night, she said. Before dawn, toward the end of the service, the families perform the traditional egg cracking custom, eat Kulich and drink red wine.
Parent Alice Church said the celebration is important because it allows the children to come together and celebrate their traditions. "My son is old enough that he knows he’s from Russia," she said. "He understands the customs."
Church and her husband have adopted two children from Russia, four-year-old Wyatt and 18-month-old Clara.
Clara is from Vladivostok and Wyatt is from Yekaterinburg.
Stinchcomb said the Northwest Arkansas chapter of FRUA is interested in increasing its membership. Anyone interested in becoming a member may contact Stinchcomb at dstrinchcomb@msn. com.