Saturday night, when all the cleaning and preparations in the house are done, the steak, the pies and the cakes are put on the table, in the “clean room”. After they clean and dress the new clothes, the people go to the church. Only the ill old men and little children remain at home, as it is said that who can go to the church on Easter night, but he doesn’t do it, will get ill. People hold lighted candles during the religious mass and only put them out when they return home, after they enter the house and make crosses. These Easter candles are kept for the times of danger, when they will have a protective function.

After midnight, all people says by way of greeting “Hristos a inviat ! (Christ is risen!"), The recipient knows to respond "Adevarat c-a înviat!" ("He is risen indeed!"). This turned out to be the usual exchange across Transylvania in the week following Easter – and, in rural areas, for up to 40 days after Easter Sunday, to announce the Resurrection of Jesus. At 3-4 o’clock in the morning, people return home and wash themselves in a bowl with water, where red painted eggs and silver coins were also put. They believe that this way they will be as glowing, healthy, with red cheeks, desired as the Easter eggs and silver and do like this three mornings. They return to church in the morning for “Little Resurrection”,with Easter basket with “pasca”, “cozonaci”, eggs and steak, where the aliments will be sanctified.

After that, people first taste the anaphora and then sit to the table. They first eat some of the sanctified aliments (made from lamb) and only then the rest. In some regions, rabbit or fish meat is first eaten, believing that these animals will confer to the people some of their agility, sweetness and gentleness too.

There’s the custom of knocking the eggs. It is believed that those who knock their eggs will see each other on the other world, after death. In the first day of Easter, eggs are only knocked with the top. On Monday they can be knocked top to the bottom and on the next days they can be knocked any way. The first ones to knock their eggs are the parents, one to the other, then the children to the parents and then the other relatives and friends. According to the tradition, the one whose egg cracks first must give his egg to the winner; otherwise he will eat its egg rotten on the other world.

”Pasca”, a special Easter cake, is baked on Great Thursday, but especially on Saturday, so it wouldn’t alter until Easter. It has a round shape (reminding little Jesus’ diapers) or a rectangular one (the shape of His grave). In some regions “pasca” is also baked on St. George Day. Among the ingredients are pot cheese, egg yolk, raisins and sometimes sugar and cinnamon. The “pasca” can be simple, with jagged margins, or it can have dough braids. The middle braid is cross-shaped, reminding of Jesus’ crucifixion. This is called a “cross pasca”. The simple “pasca” is for the family, while the “cross pasca” is taken to the church, in order to be sanctified

All Romanian religious celebrations have the cakes called “cozonaci” which have a rectangular long shape, symbolizing Jesus’ grave

 MADE BY  IOANA, DELIA, ANDREI  General School No 2 Codlea- Romania