In Russia, we celebrate Easter on April 15 this year; contrary to the UK, Easter is not marked by days-off, – unlike Christmas holidays. I have just had a conversation with my colleague about the Russian rite of having the Easter cakes and eggs blessed by the priest in the church. There is never a church big enough to fit all who want to perform the rite, so they take long tables out in the church yard where the religious can put their Easter foods, and the priest walks past and sprinkles the holy water on each one’s cake and eggs. Sadly, although this is a holy occasion, it is not seldom that people start disordely occupying empty places and bicker about it, especially old ladies. A solemn affair acquires a kind of bazaar spirit, thus contradicting the famous Biblical episode in Matthew 23: 1-12 when Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and expelled them from the church.
