To experience Easter traditions of my Rusyn heritage we traveled to eastern Slovakia to visit with family discovered during my search for roots in 2008.
We were one week late for Byzantine Easter (same as Roman Catholic Easter), but the Orthodox observe the same traditions.
The people bring baskets of traditional food on Easter morning to be blessed by the priest.

Chanted prayers filled the air as the procession made its way around the church

Holy Water is sprinkled on the baskets and the people too..

Afterwards everyone goes home to eat

The Andy Warhol Museum in the distance. His mother was born in a nearby village

Close-up detail of the elaborately decorated Easter Eggs

Everything in this picture were gifts from my family

Visiting with family after church

The Byzantine Catholic Church in Habura

The family cares for the grave wth flowers and candles.

Visiting with more family members

The Wooden Church in Habura is a replica of the original

There are three memorial plaques representing three religions:
Greek Catholics, Orthodox, and Jews.
In 3 languages all have the same message.
"God doesn't care what religion you are, only how you live your life"
also the commandment
" I am your God, do not have other gods before me."

The original church was sold in 1935 to a town in the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia)

We visited the original church in the city of Hradec Kralove

The Divine Liturgy is still celebrated there