It is not a normal Easter that Orthodox Ukrainians are celebrating this weekend. The brutal attack of Russian troops on their country overshadows everything. The people who have fled and are now living in safety in the district of Munich are also thinking of their friends and relatives. This is precisely why, says Kyrill Kurganskyi, it is so valuable to give people here in a foreign country the opportunity to celebrate this Easter together according to their well-known rites.
Easter represents so much that people need or long for at this time. It is a celebration of peace and hope. Kurganskyi comes from the Ukraine and has lived in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn for more than ten years. “Ukrainians are very religious. Especially in these difficult times, they not only need physical support, but also spiritual support,” he says. Easter is the most important festival of the year for the Orthodox believers. Easter Sunday falls on April 24 for Orthodox Christians this year, a week later than for Catholics and Protestants.
It is baked and of course the egg also plays a role.
(Photo: Zuzana Gogova/Getty Images)
The helpers in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn have therefore organized an orthodox Easter festival for this weekend. Pastor Manuel Kleinhans makes the Catholic Church of St. Peter in Siegertsbrunn available. On Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m., two priests from the Ukrainian community in Munich will come to the district to celebrate the service according to the orthodox liturgy. Then the filled Easter baskets are blessed and everyone comes together to eat together. Traditionally, the Easter service takes place at night, says Kurganskyi – newly lit light in the darkness symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But since the priests already have many other service obligations, the faithful in Siegertsbrunn will gather a little earlier this year.
About a hundred Ukrainian families are in town
About a hundred Ukrainian families have found accommodation in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, and many are already preparing for the festival. Colored eggs are just as much a part of Ukrainian Orthodox Easter as the Easter bread “Paska” and other culinary specialties. Some host families also want to celebrate on Saturday and get to know the Ukrainian rites and traditions. The organizers hope that the sense of community should give the refugees support. “People shouldn’t feel alone,” says Kurganskyi. For many, Easter is also associated with the hope of a quick end to the war.
The Orthodox Easter should also be celebrated appropriately in the community of Haar. The company of Ukrainian refugees is expressly desired when the Greek community in Haar celebrates its orthodox festival. “On Sunday our congregation will celebrate in our rooms. Ukrainians who would like to come are also invited,” says Apostolos Kotsis, chairman of the Greek congregation. Orthodox Ukrainians usually celebrate Easter in the same way as Orthodox Greeks anyway, he explains. The celebrations begin on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in the building of the adult education center, which is also home to the Greek community. We will have a barbecue and celebrate together. Kotsis speaks of traditional Easter customs. Then you need the colored eggs again. “We have this funny tradition with the Easter eggs. One person holds the egg and the other one taps it with his egg,” he says. Winner is whose egg stays whole; in Bavaria this is known as “Pecken”, “Tupfen” or “Titschen”.
Many Ukrainians have to practice their faith in exile.
(Photo: Omar Marques/Getty Images)
Kotsis is not sure whether the Ukrainians would accept the offer of celebrating together. He suspects that many would want to celebrate with their families or the people who took them in. “But we are here and open to everyone.” And regardless of Easter, says Kotsis emphatically, the doors are open to the refugees. “We have a Ukrainian there during the week who is available to people, and they are invited to our church every Sunday.”