LYNDORA - More than a month after many Christians have emptied their Easter baskets, Orthodox Christians are just beginning to dye their eggs and prepare their hams.

Following the Julian calendar, introduced under the reign of Julius Caesar, the celebration of Easter with its traditional feast falls this Sunday.

As is the case of Easter for western Christians, Orthodox Easter falls on a different Sunday each year.

"The formula the Orthodox Church uses to calculate the date of the Resurrection of Christ is both biblical and lunar," said the Rev. Joseph Wargo of St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Lyndora.

Orthodox Easter is always celebrated when there is a full moon and after the vernal equinox. The last requirement is that it is celebrated on the Sunday after the Jewish Passover, which is when the Resurrection occurred according to the Bible.

"This is called the Feast of Feasts, the holy day of holy days," said Wargo.

In preparation for the holiday, also referred to as Pascha, followers of the Orthodox tradition have fasted, not eating meat or dairy products throughout the Lenten season.

In this final week of the fast, the congregation of St. Andrew will come together for several services, including a healing service that was held Wednesday, a reading of the Passion Gospels today and a service remembering the crucifixion on Friday.

Part of the celebration includes the blessing of Easter baskets, prepared by families to be enjoyed after the Easter Sunday service.

The contents of the baskets comprise each family's Easter feast, containing many foods forbidden during the fast.

The typical contents include traditional Easter bread, hrudka cheese, ham, butter, sausage, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, salt and horseradish.

Each food also carries with it a meaning. The eggs, for instance, some of which are

decorated with wax and dyes, represent new life and resurrection.

"The nice thing about it is all the food is prepared already," said Sharon Hamilton of Butler Township.

On Saturday evening and Sunday after the morning service, families will bring in their baskets to be blessed together.

"It makes the meal holy," said Pat Potyka of Butler Township.

Each basket is representative of the family, some decorated with flowers and ribbons and all lined and covered with two linen cloths used only at this time of year.

The linens are often family heirlooms, some hand-embroidered with the words "Christ is Risen." Some have been received as gifts and others purchased on travels.

Some linens are so intricate they are framed and displayed while not in use.

In addition to the food, each basket contains a candle, which is lit at the time of the blessing.

Once the baskets are blessed and the Sunday service completed, the feast begins.

Since food that is blessed must not be thrown away, leftovers, including eggshells, must be buried or burned.

Though the blessing of the baskets is just one part of the Easter celebration, the feast brings about a great deal of anticipation for Orthodox Christians who have fasted for weeks.

"It's the icing on the cake," said Wargo.