Lentorama 2021: Take Your Holiday to Go

Day 39: Lazarus Saturday

In Eastern Christian churches, the day before Palm Sunday is known as Lazarus Saturday, which celebrates Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This feast has ancient roots in Christianity, coming up in sermons recorded in the 4th and 5th centuries.  The service on this day reflects on the resurrection of Lazarus as pre-figuring the resurrection of Jesus (and the general resurrection promised when Jesus returns).

This day is still a fast day, but with one notable exception: caviar. Eggs are a symbol of the resurrection, and fish eggs are apparently seen as a shadow of bird eggs (which I guess is an ovate comparison of Lazarus to Jesus). This is also the day when, historically, hermits would return to their monasteries to celebrate Holy Week. 

There are also local differences in this feast. Celebrants in Greece and Cyprus bake and eat a bread that symbolizes Lazarus (this page gives more detail as to how the day goes in Greek Orthodox churches). In Serbia and Bulgaria you find traditions that may have more pagan roots, such as a fire to ward off vermin and snakes, and a procession that involves six maidens (though I'm not finding much of anything indicating that these practices are actually current).