ORTHODOX EASTER In Russia, Kulich is an Easter cake. Paskha is a traditional sweet dish made of cottage cheese, butter, sour cream, and eggs.

It is prepared only once a year on the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ. This year, April 11/12.

The delicacy is shaped like a truncated pyramid and symbolic of the Holy Sepulchre and represents the joy of the holiday, purity, and light.

This Easter story is about a woman who once bought a kulich in a beautiful box. For the poor woman going through a hard and uncertain time, the purchase was an insanely expensive holiday kulich

She impulsively bought this overpriced kulich out of sadness in an effort to cheer herself up.

Feeling down, she never bothered with the usual rituals of colouring the eggs or making pashka from cottage cheese.

The day hadn’t gone well: She had a fight with her adult son and broken up with her boyfriend. Both had been accompanied by dark thoughts and curses.

Then at work, she was told that her department was no longer needed and she would be laid off: A new staffing schedule arrived.

For these reasons, in an effort to cheer herself up, she went into the delicatessen and thoughtlessly grabbed this enormous kulich in a red and gold box.

She became even more depressed: She needed to save money; she could get fired from her job. What will she live on?

So, gloomily, she walked home, where at the entrance, she saw a very old grandmother. A poorly dressed old woman, she was poorly dressed and aged.

The woman who had foolishly bought the expensive cake stopped being angry and worried. She took the box of Easter cake and gave it to the old woman.

And she didn’t say anything religious, or offer congratulations: she wasn’t particularly skilled at that.

She simply said, ‘This is for you, take it!’

The old woman clasped the box with her age-spotted hands and smiled toothlessly.

Then she held the box close with one hand and with the other pulled a painted egg from her pocket.

A little cracked, brownish. And she gave the painted, cracked egg to the woman.

And from that small gift came a Pandora’s box of good fortune. The woman called and wished his mom a joyful Orthodox Easter. All was well.

Soon afterwards, her estranged boyfriend returned and, after exchanging words of love and forgiveness, the two lovers were betrothed.

Then her employers called to tell her that she was not to be made redundant. She was being transferred to a better job in a higher department and would receive a pay rise.

Some call such stories an act of fate, of karma or just good luck from a mysterious source.

The truth is that what goes around comes around. Give love, and you will receive loyalty and love.

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