Anniversary of Eastern Orthodoxy

Posted by Kerry Kubilius Jul 31, 2008

Since Prince Vladimir chose Christianity as the faith for his people, 1,020 years have elapsed. The groundbreaking decision to convert from paganism changed history in Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, and elsewhere forever. Rus was the initial center of Eastern Orthodoxy, with St. Sophia Cathedral standing in for the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. St. Sophia still reigns as monument to that time of learning, law, and religion, though it has seen change and restoration.

The words for "Christian" and "peasant" were once almost synonymous in meaning, even though the lowest classes practiced a religion that was something of a hybrid between Orthodoxy and paganism. Colored eggs, or pysanky, are good examples of this hybridization - while eggs might now be associated with the Orthodox Easter holiday, they were once used in pagan rites of spring.