During Easter celebrations, Lithuanians don’t use the images of cute and fuzzy bunnies hiding their eggs all around. Instead, they have the Easter Granny.
This endearing old lady known as Velyku Bobute is the one that brings the Easter eggs to the children, although she has some bunnies that act as her assistants and help to decorate the eggs and load her cart before she goes to deliver them. Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are sometimes decorated.
They are usually used as gifts on the occasion of Easter. Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs wrapped in colored foil, hand-carved wooden eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as chocolate.
However, real eggs continue to be used in Central and Eastern European traditions. Although eggs were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth, in Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, from which Jesus resurrected.
In addition, one ancient tradition was the staining of Easter eggs with the color red “in memory of the blood of Christ, shed as of his crucifixion.”
This custom of the Easter egg, according to many sources, can be traced to early Christians of Mesopotamia, and from there it spread into Eastern Europe and Siberia through the Orthodox Churches, and later into Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches.
Other sources maintain that the custom arose in western Europe during the Middle Ages as a result of the fact that Western Christians were prohibited from eating eggs during Lent, but could eat them when Easter arrived. The Lithuanian Easter buffet is a lavish contrast to the meatless Lenten fast.
Opulent displays of roasted pork, baked ham, lamb, veal, sausages, roasted duck, and roasted chicken abound. If lamb is not served, then they mold butter or cheese into the shape of a lamb and symbolized Easter. For Lithuanian Christians, Easter (Velykos) is the most sacred of holidays.
It follows 40 somber days of Lenten moderation and marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each spring, Lithuanians commemorate the Passion of Christ by attending church services throughout Holy Week on Palm Sunday, Holy Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.
While the rites of these services are comparable to those in other parts of the world, many Easter traditions observed outside of church liturgy are uniquely Lithuanian.
