Cheesefare Sunday has come

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The life of our forefathers was unfolding within a common rhythm outlined by workdays and holidays, work and celebration, fast and full diet. In this way eating and meals were not a matter of personal preference but rather followed strict rules, had a rich ritual meaning and structured the lives of individuals, the family and the community.

In Orthodox Christianity fasting rules out any food of animal origin – not only meat but also dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter and eggs. On some days fish is allowed, on other even cooking oil should be skipped. Invertebrate (snails, octopus and mussels) are considered suitable for fasting. However, fasting is not bound to food and the diet alone. Apart from animal food fasting excluded alcohol consumption, singing and dancing, weddings and sex. From the total of 365 days in a year, the days of fasting are 200. There are one-day fasts such as Wednesdays and Fridays, the eve of Epiphany celebrated in 6 January, and two big Christian feasts – the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (29 August) and the Feast of the Cross (14 August). In traditional culture, on the Decollation of Saint John the Baptist any red colored food is banned – for the association with the saint’s blood.

While Christianity highlights fasting as a way to achieve humility and clean the soul, traditional culture laid the emphasis on other benefits – for instance, fasting was a way to fulfill prayers and to get protected from danger. There is a story told like a parable. There was a woman who had to cross the railroad to go to work. Once, carrying groceries and leading her child by the hand, she had her heel stuck in the rail. All of a sudden a train came while she was desperately trying to release her heel. A second before the train ran over her, two boys came to her rescue and pushed her and her child away from the rails thus saving two lives. Quite moved she asked for their names. They said they were called Wednesday and Friday – and because she was observing the days of fast they had come to her rescue. The lesson to learn from this story is that God’s support comes through observing fasting.

Apart from one-day fasting there are long periods of fasting too. The Holy Virgin Lent. It comes as a run-up to the Assumption on 15 August. Peter’s Lent precedes the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on 29 June. It begins on the first Sunday of Pentecost, so differs in length every year – from a few days to a few weeks. In one legend, St. Peter was alone in his courage to go and fight against the Black Death (the plague). She burnt his wings but he hit her with his crutch and this made her hunchbacked. Since then God instructed Christians to observe Peter’s Lent to make sure the saint’s wings would grow anew. The start of the Christmas Lent is given forty days ahead of Christmas and is considered a joyful fast as it comes ahead of the Nativity of Christ. Therefore it is not very strict and fish and cooking oil are allowed almost throughout the whole period of fasting.

The longest and strictest of all fasting periods is the Great Lent preceding Easter. It begins on Cheesefare Sunday or seven weeks before Easter (this year it is on 17 March). A week earlier, on Meatfare Sunday, people eat meat for the last time, and on Cheesefare Sunday they bid goodbye to all other animal food. So on this day the table is richly laid with plenty of food including cheese pie, eggs and fried fish. On Cheesefare Sunday, an old ritual is observed that creates a lot of fun. A piece of cheese or an egg is tied to a thread and a stick, and the egg or cheese is pushed around while everybody kneeling, hands behind their backs, are trying to catch the cheese or egg with their mouths. In modern times the ritual is performed using white halva, perhaps for its white color. In this way, amid fun and merriment, people part with animal foods looking forward to Easter. On the next day all vessels are washed with boiling water and cleaned with ash so as to remove even a trace of fat on them.

As the Great Lent comes, the act of forgiveness is important, as a way of spiritual cleansing and release of judgment and blame. People go to visit relatives and friends, give them gifts and reciprocate forgiveness. The younger family members ask forgiveness from the older ones, and then roles exchange. In this way people get released from bad feelings and insult, they feel renewed and the family connections grow stronger. Following the dinner on Cheesefare Sunday comes the time for fun and merriment – for the last time before Easter. This is the time when companies of masked men – mummers or old men – tour the community to create more fun. Cheesefare fires were also popular in village communities. Girls played chain dances, while boys jumped over the fire seen as a symbol of cleansing. Boys in love would send fire arrows to the yards of their sweethearts’ houses thus expressing their feelings. In this way forgiveness, merriment, fire and love go hand in hand on the eve of the Great Lent.

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova

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Cheesefare Sunday has come

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