At Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish, the celebration of Easter (Pascha) continues beyond Sunday, blending liturgical richness with beloved folk traditions. These customs—rooted in UGCC liturgy and Ukrainian culture—offer families and communities ways to live the Resurrection fully during Bright Week.
After Easter Sunday’s Divine Liturgy and blessing of baskets, families often visit the graves of deceased loved ones, bringing paska, red eggs, meats, and blessed foods.
Hayivky (Гаївки) are traditional Ukrainian circle dances and songs celebrating Easter and spring renewal.
In Ukrainian tradition, Easter Monday—called Bright Monday in liturgical terms and Wet Monday in folk culture—is a day of joyful renewal.
Liturgical Context:
Folk Customs:
Integration with Parish Life:
Saint Nicholas Parish can embrace a full week of Paschal joy:
| Day | Parish & Folk Tradition |
|---|---|
| Sunday | Paschal Matins, Divine Liturgy, blessing of baskets, optional graveside visits |
| Monday | Bright Monday / Wet Monday: water dousing, graves, hayivky, family meals |
| Tuesday+ | Continued hayivky, communal meals, visits, and celebrations of renewal |
These practices embody the living heritage of the UGCC, blending liturgical solemnity, family devotion, and joyful folk expression.
The Graveside Visits, Hayivky, and Easter Monday Water Traditions complement the parish’s liturgical celebration of Pascha, extending Resurrection joy into family, community, and culture. Together, they remind us that Christ’s victory over death is not just a single day but a week-long experience of life, light, and love, faithfully transmitted through UGCC practice and Ukrainian heritage.
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen! (Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес!)
Early on Easter Sunday morning, the faithful of Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish gather for the radiant celebration of Paschal Matins with Divine Liturgy. This sacred service leads the community from the solemn remembrance of Christ’s burial—symbolized by the Plashchanytsia, the embroidered or painted shroud depicting Christ in the tomb—to the joyous proclamation of His Resurrection, fulfilling the Paschal mystery as the “Feast of Feasts.”
We warmly invite all parishioners and visitors, whether lifelong members or first-time guests, to join in this beautiful celebration. Come and share in the joy, light, and hope of Christ’s Resurrection with your parish family.
Before Matins proper, many parishes begin with the Paschal Midnight Office (Poliúshchna).
This moment reminds us that even in sorrow, Christ’s light breaks through, filling hearts with hope and life.
After the Plashchanytsia is placed on the altar, the priest leads the faithful outside for a threefold procession around the church.
Candles in hand, we sing:
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”
At the final circuit, the priest knocks on the closed church doors with the hand-cross, announcing the Resurrection. Upon re-entering, the congregation celebrates:
“This is the day of Resurrection! Let us embrace one another, forgive as Christ forgave, and rejoice together—Christ is risen!”
Matins then unfolds with its ancient structure, including:
The faithful exchange the Paschal greeting (“Christ is risen!” / “Truly, He is risen!”) and the Easter kiss, even with strangers, symbolizing love, reconciliation, and community.
Following Matins, the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom centers on the Risen Christ in the Eucharist, re-presenting His Passion, Death, and Resurrection as the heart of salvation.
After the Liturgy, families bring Easter baskets filled with paska bread, red eggs, meats, cheese, and butter to be blessed.
From the Midnight Office transfer and tomb-like darkness, through the procession and Matins’ hymns, to the Eucharistic triumph and blessing of baskets, the celebration at Saint Nicholas Parish draws the faithful into the living reality of Christ’s Pascha.
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen! (Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес!)
Nadhrobne means “at the tomb.”
It is a special prayer service where the Church gathers around the Plashchanitsia (Holy Shroud), which represents Jesus’ tomb.
This service usually happens:
It helps us stand with Christ in the tomb and prepare for the joy of His Resurrection.
Even though it feels devotional, it is an official part of the Church’s liturgy.
| Nadhrobne | St. Basil’s Liturgy |
|---|---|
| Reflective and prayerful | Eucharistic and celebratory |
| Focuses on Christ in the tomb | Proclaims salvation history |
| Uses psalms, hymns, readings | Central Eucharist with Anaphora |
| Emphasizes waiting and silence | Emphasizes Resurrection joy |
| Optional procession and veneration | Communion of the faithful |
“Nadhrobne is when we gather at the tomb of Jesus. We pray, we wait, and we honor Him. We remember His death, but we trust that Resurrection and new life are coming.”
Holy Saturday is a very special day. Everything seems quiet.
Jesus is in the tomb.
The Church is silent.
But something very important is happening.
Even though we do not see it:
This is why this day is not only sad—it is filled with hope.
On Holy Saturday, we celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great.
This Liturgy is not used often during the year, but it is chosen for this day because it is:
During this Liturgy, we hear the whole story of our faith:
This helps us understand what is happening on Holy Saturday:
👉 Jesus enters death in order to destroy it from the inside
During Great Lent:
But Holy Saturday is different.
This Liturgy shows us:
You may sometimes hear that this service includes “Vespers.”
Historically, in monasteries, the service included:
Today, in most parishes:
So the important thing to remember is:
👉 This is the main Liturgy of Holy Saturday
Another beautiful tradition is the blessing of Easter food.
People bring baskets with:
This tradition is especially strong in our Ukrainian Church.
Each item has a meaning:
These foods are not just for eating—they remind us of Easter joy.
The blessing is connected to Easter (Pascha).
In many places:
The exact time may be different, but the meaning is the same:
👉 We are preparing to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ
Holy Saturday teaches us something very important:
On Holy Saturday, Jesus is in the tomb—but already He is defeating death.
In the Liturgy, we hear the story of our salvation.
And in our Easter baskets, we prepare to celebrate new life.
A Simple Guide for Our Parish**
Many of us have experienced the beautiful and moving service of Matins—especially during Holy Week, when we stand before the Plashchanytsia (Holy Shroud). Sometimes this service is called “Jerusalem Matins.”
But what does that really mean? Where does this service come from?
Let us take a simple journey through its history and meaning.
Everything begins in Jerusalem, at the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead—the Holy Sepulchre.
In the early Church (around the 300s), Christians gathered there during the night to pray. One pilgrim named Egeria left us a description of what she saw:
This was not just a prayer service.
It was an experience of the Resurrection.
👉 This is the beginning of what we now call Matins.
This early service had a powerful meaning:
Just like:
Even today, Matins follows this same pattern.
In the early centuries, monks in places like Egypt and the Holy Land prayed during the night.
A monk named John Cassian tells us:
These morning prayers became what we now call Lauds—the heart of Matins.
👉 Over time, the Church joined together:
And this became the full service of Matins.
As the Church grew, it organized these prayers carefully.
Two important traditions helped shape Matins:
👉 Together, they gave us the Matins we celebrate today.
When our ancestors accepted Christianity in the year 988 (the Baptism of Kyivan Rus’), they received this whole tradition.
From that time on:
This is the same tradition we have today in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
In our Church, the term “Jerusalem Matins” is used especially for:
👉 Holy Saturday Matins before the Plashchanytsia
This is one of the most beautiful services of the year.
During this service:
And then:
👉 This is exactly what Christians did long ago in Jerusalem.
Even if the service feels long or complex, its meaning is simple.
Here are the main parts:
👉 The whole service moves from:
darkness → light
death → life
cross → resurrection
Matins is not just “another service.”
It helps us:
It teaches us something very important:
👉 Even when everything seems dark,
God is already preparing the Resurrection.
When you come to Matins—especially during Holy Week—remember:
You are not just in church.
You are:
And just like the first Christians in Jerusalem…
👉 You are witnessing the Resurrection.
“Glory be to Jesus Christ!”
Holy / Good Friday Great Vespers with the Laying of the Shroud Виставлення Плащаниці @ 11:00 a.m.
The service of Great (Holy) Friday Vespers with the Laying of the Shroud (Plashchanitsa) is one of the most profound and sacred moments in the liturgical life of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. It is deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture, early Christian practice, and the rich theological tradition of the Byzantine Rite.
This service does not simply recall a past event—it invites the faithful to enter into the burial of Christ.
The entire service is grounded in the Gospel accounts of Christ’s burial. After His Crucifixion:
Because the burial took place in the evening, the Church places this mystery within Vespers, the liturgical service that marks the transition into night. Even when celebrated earlier in the day for pastoral reasons (such as 11:00 a.m.), the theological meaning remains: we stand at the moment when Christ is laid in the tomb.
As early as the 4th century, Christians in Jerusalem gathered on Great Friday at the holy places to commemorate the Passion and burial of Christ. These early practices—known as Hagiopolite traditions—included Gospel readings, psalms, and solemn processions.
Over time, these commemorations developed organically into the structured liturgical life of the Byzantine Church. What began as pilgrimage became liturgical participation. The faithful no longer only remembered the events—they entered into them.
The Plashchanitsa (also known as the Epitaphios) itself is clearly attested in Byzantine use by the 14th century, though its roots are likely earlier. It emerged as a visual and devotional expression of Christ’s burial, allowing the faithful to see and venerate the image of the Savior lying in the tomb.
In the Ukrainian tradition, a particularly powerful element of this service is the procession with the Plashchanitsa.
At the conclusion of the procession:
This reveals a profound truth:
the whole Church—clergy and faithful together—participates in the burial of Christ.
The Plashchanitsa is not merely an image. It is a liturgical icon that proclaims:
As taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 624–628), Christ’s burial confirms the reality of His death and reveals its saving meaning.
From Great Friday until Pascha, the Church enters what is often called the “Great Silence.”
Christ rests in the tomb, yet He is not inactive. In this sacred mystery, He descends into Hades to bring light to those who were in darkness.
Thus, the tomb is transformed:
The burial of Christ also reveals something about our own lives.
In Baptism:
The tomb becomes not an end, but a passage to new life. The Plashchanitsa therefore represents not only Christ, but every human life entrusted to God, awaiting resurrection.
Within the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, this service has become a deeply cherished expression of faith, especially among people who have experienced suffering, loss, and displacement.
Here, the faithful encounter the truth:
Great Friday Vespers with the Laying of the Shroud is not simply a remembrance of the past. It is a sacred encounter.
In this service:
And in that silence, with faith and hope, we await the light of the Resurrection.
Вечірня Великої П’ятниці з виставленням Плащаниці є одним із найглибших богослужінь у житті Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Вона має свої корені у Святому Письмі, давній традиції Церкви та богослов’ї візантійського обряду.
Це богослужіння не лише пригадує подію минулого — воно запрошує нас увійти у поховання Христа.
Після розп’яття:
Саме тому Церква поміщає цю подію у Вечірню. Навіть якщо служба відправляється раніше (наприклад, о 11:00), вона зберігає своє глибоке значення — ми стоїмо перед таїнством поховання Христа.
Вже у IV столітті християни в Єрусалимі збиралися на святих місцях, щоб вшанувати страсті і поховання Христа. Ці богослужіння включали читання Євангелія, псалми і процесії.
З часом ця традиція розвинулася у візантійське богослужіння. Те, що почалося як паломництво, стало живою літургійною участю.
Плащаниця (Епітафіос) засвідчена у візантійській традиції з XIV століття і стала видимим знаком похованого Христа.
В українській традиції:
Наприкінці:
Це показує, що
вся Церква бере участь у похованні Христа.
Плащаниця проголошує:
Від Великої П’ятниці до Пасхи Церква входить у святу тишу. Христос спочиває у гробі, але водночас звершує спасіння.
Гріб стає:
У Хрещенні ми:
Плащаниця є образом не лише Христа, але й кожної людини, яка очікує воскресіння.
Це богослужіння — це зустріч.
І з вірою чекаємо Воскресіння.
Holy Thursday Matins and the Twelve Passion Gospels @ 7:00 PM
Followed by the Setting of the Place for the Holy Shroud – Божий Гріб
April 2, 2026, Holy Thursday
the Great and the Rite of Washing of the Disciples’ Feet @10:00 AM at Saint Josaphat’s Cathedral with Bishop David
Як читати Святе Письмо і чому це надважливо?
How to read the Bible and why it is vital?
Запрошуємо молодь віком 13 -18 на зустріч,
щоб разом глибше пізнати Боже Слово
та відкрити його значення для нашого життя.
Зустріч проводить семінарист Марко Коваль
We invite youth (ages 13-18) to a gathering
to grow in understanding of God’s Word
and discover its meaning in our daily lives.
Seminarian Marko Koval’ is leading the meeting
🗓 Субота, 28 березня | Saturday, March 28
🕕 18:00–20:00 | 6–8 PM
📍 St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edmonton
Contact information: fr.dumec@eeparchy.com
🍕 Після зустрічі — спільне частування піцою та веселі ігри
🍕 Games, pizza and fellowship to follow
During the holy season of Great Lent, we slow down, reflect, and prepare our hearts for the joy of the Resurrection. One of the most meaningful Lenten devotions is the Way of the Cross, also known as the Stations of the Cross.
At Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Edmonton, we will gather to pray the Way of the Cross on:
Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 PM
Everyone is warmly invited — families, children, seniors, long-time parishioners, and newcomers.
The Way of the Cross is a prayerful journey where we spiritually walk with Jesus from His condemnation to His burial in the tomb.
There are 14 stations (moments), including:
Jesus is condemned
Jesus carries His Cross
Jesus falls
Jesus meets His Mother
Simon helps carry the Cross
Jesus is crucified
Jesus dies
Jesus is laid in the tomb
At each station, we pause to pray and reflect. It is not a performance. It is not a play. It is a prayer — one that helps us understand Christ’s love more deeply.
In our parish, the Way of the Cross is often prayed as a procession around the church.
The order of the procession reflects our Byzantine tradition:
A cross-bearer leads at the front
Altar servers may carry candles
Parishioners carry church banners (korohvy) with sacred icons
The priest, wearing the epitrachelion, carries the censer and offers incense
The faithful follow prayerfully, often holding candles
Walking together reminds us that faith is lived as a community. We do not carry our crosses alone. We follow Christ together.
For children especially, this visible procession makes the meaning easier to understand — we are truly walking with Jesus.
At the request of many Ukrainian families in our parish, the Way of the Cross will be prayed mostly in Ukrainian.
Several of our parishioners — especially seniors and recently arrived families — are more comfortable praying in Ukrainian and sometimes find English difficult.
As a parish family, we want everyone to feel included and spiritually nourished. Using Ukrainian helps many of our faithful pray more deeply and feel at home.
However, all are welcome, whether Ukrainian-speaking or English-speaking. The structure of the prayer is easy to follow, and the meaning of the devotion is universal.
We pray the Way of the Cross:
To unite our personal struggles with Christ’s Cross
To learn patience, humility, and forgiveness
To prepare our hearts for Pascha
To remember that suffering is not the end — Resurrection is
Many families today carry heavy burdens — illness, loss, uncertainty, war, displacement, loneliness. The Way of the Cross reminds us that Christ understands suffering and walks with us.
Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Edmonton
Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 PM
Come walk with Christ.
Come pray with your parish family.
Come prepare your heart for the joy of the Resurrection.
All are welcome.
«Хресна Дорога Ісуса Христа» — це молитовна практика, в якій ми разом із Христом духовно проходимо шлях Його страждань від суду до розп’яття й поховання. Для багатьох наших вірних УГКЦ ця молитва стає серцевиною Великого Посту — часом глибокого роздуму про Божу любов, наші страждання та християнську надію.
Це спільна молитва та духовна подорож, що складається з 14 «становищ» (стацій). На кожній стації ми зупиняємось, пригадуємо подію із Страстей Христових, слухаємо коротку молитву або роздум і молимося разом.
Хоча ця традиція має свої історичні корені в західній Церкві, сьогодні вона переживається в багатьох парафіях УГКЦ як збагачення постової молитви, яке допомагає розуміти глибину Христових страждань і водночас уповати на Його перемогу над смертю.
Більшість стацій походить від того, як у середні віки християни намагалися відтворити для себе **духовну подорож Ісуса по вулицях Via Dolorosa у Jerusalem, де Він ніс свій хрест. У Святому Місті ця дорога називається Via Dolorosa — Шлях Болі, і сьогодні там щороку у Страсну П’ятницю відбувається молитва та процесія з місцевими християнами та паломниками, які йдуть услід за Христом тією самою дорогою.
Ця традиція зародилась ще у перші століття християнства, коли паломники, які не могли поїхати до Святого Міста, принесли її у свої спільноти як духовну практику. У XVI–XVII століттях Форму з 14 стаціями остаточно затвердили в церквах Європи та світу.
Молитва складається з 14 кроків роздумів:
Христос засуджений на смерть
Христос несе свій хрест
Христос падає вперше
Христос зустрічає Свою Матір
Симон із Кирини допомагає нести Хрест
…
Христос покладений у гроб
На кожній стації читаються уривки з Євангелія, молитви, розважання, а інколи — псалми чи пісні. Ця молитва допомагає нам усвідомити, що наш власний життєвий шлях часто теж є Хресним — сповненим болю, втрат і випробувань — але разом із Христом він веде до життя.
У багатьох наших громадах УГКЦ Хресна Дорога відбувається ступенево й урочисто як процесія:
Вірні виходять разом із священиком
Йдуть услід за Хрестом
Зупиняються на кожній стації біля зображення або хреста
Моляться, співають, читають роздуми
Такі процесії молитовно об’єднують спільноту, допомагаючи не лише «стояти», але й «йти» разом із Христом дорогами життя під час Великого Посту. Подібні спільні ходи відбуваються не лише в наших парафіях, а й по всій Україні в містах і паломницьких центрах, наприклад у Зарваниці, де сотні вірних щороку беруть участь у Хресних Дорогах за мир, справедливість і Батьківщину.
Такі процесійні молитви — це не театралізація, а духовні кроки віри, які допомагають нам пережити власні труднощі поруч із Христом, щоб зрозуміти: Він йде з нами і за нас.
Хресна Дорога — це більше, ніж церковне богослужіння:
Це шлях, який допомагає співпереживати Христові стражданням
Це нагадування, що наш особистий біль і труднощі мають сенс у світлі Божої любові
Це спосіб нести власний хрест із вірою та надією, знаючи, що Христос не залишає нас самих
Це духовна підготовка серця до Великодня (Пасхи) — дня перемоги життя над смертю
Коли ми молимось Хресну Дорогу — усередині церкви чи як процесію навколо храму, — ми пригадуємо, що Христова любов сильніша за будь-який біль, і що саме ця любов дає нам силу іти вперед.
