Wishing you all the Bright Joys of the Fast!
May your journey to Pascha be Peaceful and Fruitful!
Tag: Lazarakia
Clean Monday, Great Lent, Holy Week – Past Posts
Photo with Scripture Quote by Juliana
Let us Spring Clean our souls, Grow in God’s Grace… and Bloom in His Sonshine! May our Great Lenten Journeys be Peaceful, and Fruitful – helping us see Christ in others.
Wishing you all the Bright Joys of the Fast!
Lightfare
Daily Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim
Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
Bending the Knees of the Heart
Savouring Great Lent
Beauty of Holiness
Nothing Higher on Earth
God’s Beautiful Promise in the Sky
St. Patrick Enlightener of Ireland
Skylark Buns Tradition (Baked to celebrate the Feast of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebaste)
Lazarakia Bun Recipe (Traditionally baked for celebrating Lazarus Saturday and/or Palm Sunday)
Bon Voyage ’til Bright Week!
Image by Denis Doukhan Pixabay
Good morning! What a wonderful day the Lord has provided!
Scooting along the remainder of this Lenten Journey, I’m reminded that every Lent is uniquely different, with its own flavour of adventures and distractions.
So, I’m attempting to take a wee posting break until (God-Willing), Bright Week… and greet you now, in advance, on tomorrow’s most beautiful, shining Feast of the Annunciation!
Below, is a Ladybird’s-eye view of past Postings to take you to Pascha!
Lazarakia Buns Recipe for Lazarus Saturday
Natural Onion Skin Brick- Red Dye for Pascha Eggs
May your Lenten Journey continue in peace, and may you be filled to the brim with the blessings of Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
St. Matthew’s Passion Music composed by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, takes us through the services in Holy Week, as recorded through the Gospel of St. Matthew. Music and Scripture are poignantly entwined.
Great and Holy Tuesday
Hymn of St. Kassiani The Woman Who Had Fallen Into Many Sins
Great and Holy Friday
Do Not Lament Me O Mother One of my favourite hymns by St. Kassiani
I’m truly looking forward to greeting you again and “on the other side” of Great and Holy Pascha!
Let us open our arms and throw ourselves in Christ’s embrace. When Christ comes, we will have gained everything. Christ will alter everything within us. He will bring peace, joy, humility, love, prayer and the uplifting of our soul. The grace of Christ will renew us. ~ Elder Porphyrios, Wounded By Love
Here’s a short and edifying Youtube Orthodox Movie with a Trio of Good Proverbs (English Subtitles). My favourites are #2 and #3.
Thank you for visiting Blisswood!
Lazarakia
Lazarus Saturday is a special day in the Orthodox Church, and celebrates the final, great miracle of Jesus Christ before His Resurrection. Today prefigures His own death, and demonstrates His Authority over death. Seeing His friend is already four days dead, Jesus sheds tears and cries out: “Lazarus, come forth!”
After the Resurrection of Christ, St. Lazarus lived for another 30 years and became the first Bishop of Kition in Cyprus.
In Orthodox countries, on Lazarus Saturday, children go house to house with decorated hand baskets, singing Lazarus Carols, and sharing Lazarakia. Sometimes coins are popped into the children’s baskets by parishioners, as a donation for the church. Some folks slip lenten treats to the children, which they take home and share with their families. It is also customary to collect wildflowers, palms, and branches on this day to adorn homes, as the next day is the feast of Palm Sunday.
There are many ways to make Lazarakia. Although fresh is best, you may certainly bake them ahead of time, and they freeze well.
Here is our own family recipe. It’s a bit different from the recipe on YouTube (seen near bottom of page), but it makes approximately the same quantity of Lazarakia buns as described in the video – depending of course… on the forms’ shapes and sizes. We basically do the same dough preparation as in the video. However, we prefer to braid the Lazarakia and use peppercorns for the eyes, instead of whole clove sticks.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 tsp. yeast
- 4 – 5 cups flour
- Zest of half an orange
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup liquid honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. ground anise (optional)
- peppercorns for the eyes
- Bake in 370 degree oven for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until golden brown. (Baking time depends on the size of the Lazarakia.)
- For “Bun-Shine” – a glossy vegan finish, use an extra couple of Tbsp. of olive oil for brushing onto the hot, baked, Lazarakia, after they come out of the oven.
Here is an excellent YouTube video. It’s easy to follow, with well explained how to’s… Step by step instructions show different ways to form the Lazarakia.
Lazarus Saturday will soon be here! I hope you enjoy the sweet venture of making and/or sharing traditional Lazarakia.