No offense to the house of Windsor, but Ukraine did not stop last Friday to catch a glimspe of the royal wedding. Instead Ukrainians were in a frenzy of preparation for one of thier biggest holidays of the year. The first weekend after Easter, most of Ukraine celebrates a holiday known as "hrabki" based on the word or graves. Each plot in a Ukrainian graveyard has a usually rather elaborate tombstone bearing the deceased photograph, in front of the tombstone stands a small metal picnic table and bench enclosed by a short metal or wooden fence in accordance with the families social status. Friday and Saturday are spent cleaning and preparing the gravesites, then on the first Sunday after Easter a long line of cars and an even greater flock of pedistrains make their way to the local cemetary to honor their dead.
They carry baskets laden with bread, meat, cheeses, cutlets, eggs and of course vodka. A little after noon the deceased's family sits down at the picnic table to "share" a meal with their loved one. There are large brass bands that roam the graveyards and for a price will play a somber tune for you lost relative. It's a time of mingling visitng with neighbors and coworkers, because pretty much anyone, that's anyone there. After the meal, and much drinking, a considerable amount of food, as well as customary shot glass filled with vodka is left at the picnic table for the deceased. Although no one really believes that the dead eat this food, it is an act of tradition and supersitition, a compromise made between paganism and Orthodoxy nearly a thousand years ago. Folks are afaid to offend their loves ones or bring bad luck upon themselves, even the staunchist of atheist will leave a small bag of candy for his lost ones, "just in case"
This is a holiday not to be missed, even in the large modernized city of Kiev, traffic jams near cemetaries made it almost impossible to pass thorugh the city this week. In our own small town our church has the unique blessing of being located on the main road to the cemetary. The protestant of Ukraine do not observe this holiday. However, for several years now, our church has used this stratigic location to reach the community. We have a small rummage sale to "lure" the cemetary crowd in, as well as refreshments, (for the living, not the dead). It has proved to be a great opprotunity to reach people along their path of disilluisionment, and to get them reconnected with the truth.
They carry baskets laden with bread, meat, cheeses, cutlets, eggs and of course vodka. A little after noon the deceased's family sits down at the picnic table to "share" a meal with their loved one. There are large brass bands that roam the graveyards and for a price will play a somber tune for you lost relative. It's a time of mingling visitng with neighbors and coworkers, because pretty much anyone, that's anyone there. After the meal, and much drinking, a considerable amount of food, as well as customary shot glass filled with vodka is left at the picnic table for the deceased. Although no one really believes that the dead eat this food, it is an act of tradition and supersitition, a compromise made between paganism and Orthodoxy nearly a thousand years ago. Folks are afaid to offend their loves ones or bring bad luck upon themselves, even the staunchist of atheist will leave a small bag of candy for his lost ones, "just in case"
This is a holiday not to be missed, even in the large modernized city of Kiev, traffic jams near cemetaries made it almost impossible to pass thorugh the city this week. In our own small town our church has the unique blessing of being located on the main road to the cemetary. The protestant of Ukraine do not observe this holiday. However, for several years now, our church has used this stratigic location to reach the community. We have a small rummage sale to "lure" the cemetary crowd in, as well as refreshments, (for the living, not the dead). It has proved to be a great opprotunity to reach people along their path of disilluisionment, and to get them reconnected with the truth.
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