April

Romania has about 22 million people and about 87% of them belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church that is Christian like the Catholic and Protestant churches. It is the only Eastern Orthodox Church using a Romance language.
Easter is the most important religious holiday for the Orthodox Church. We celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Day. Pascha (Easter) is the primary act that fulfills the purpose of Christ's ministry on earth—to defeat death by dying and to purify and exalt humanity by voluntarily assuming and overcoming human frailty.
Orthodox Christian people start preparations for Easter Sunday 40 days in advance by the lent season. It’s time for fasting (not eating any animal products such as meat, eggs, milk or any food made using one of them), prayers and penance.

Lent is over after the Paschal/Resurrection Divine Liturgy hold at midnight Saturday to Sunday, so as soon as Easter Sunday starts.  
During this Liturgy all light in the church building is extinguished and everybody waits in darkness and silence for the stroke of midnight. Then a new flame is struck in the altar or the priest lights his candle from the perpetual lamp kept burning there and people light their own candles. This practice has its origin in the reception of the Holy Fire at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The priest together with people attending the mass go in a Crucession (procession with the cross) around the church building holding lit candles and chanting.
 

As soon as the Liturgy is over, Lent is over too and people go home and the first meal. They start by knocking (symbol for Jesus’ opening tomb) Easter eggs (they are hard boiled eggs traditionally red coloured-symbol of the spilt Blood of Jesus). When two people tap eggs one of them says "Christ is risen!" and the other replies "Truly He is risen!". These phrases will also be the greetings (instead of “Hello”, “Good morning” etc) used for the next 40 days when we celebrate Jesus Christ’s Ascension to Heaven. We also go on eating coloured eggs till Ascension Day.

Easter is the Holiday of Light, the Resurrection Light. We carry home the candle we lit during the Resurrection ritual at church, when the priest gave light to everybody attending the mass.

CALEA LUMINII LA TÂRGOVIȘTE
THE WAY OF LIGHT IN TARGOVISTE

There is a modern tradition in our new old city, a tradition that is unique in Romania. This tradition is called The Way of Light. This is our way of getting ready for Easter, a way of welcoming our greatest religious feast. The idea belongs to a local painter who says that candle light guides people from birth to death. Besides light is one of the dearest Easter symbols. The Way of Light is a sign of soul purifying as well.

The atmosphere is as if it were taken from a fairy tale or from Heaven.

Our Town Hall together with Mihai Șerbănescu- the painter- are the organizers of this event.

The family sat at table and start having the meal by knocking eggs. This is a real competition won by the one whose egg doesn’t crack – the winner egg. After cracking the eggs, everybody enjoys eating them with bread or rather cozonac.