Forgiveness Sunday and why I eat pancakes this day

#food #happiness #forgiveness #sunday #ru

While Asia was celebrating New Lunar Year this weekend, in Russia (where I’m from) and in all Orthodox communities around the world, Forgiveness Sunday was the last day before Great Lent (which is 40 days fasting period). 

It has also marked the final day of #Maslenitsa - a week of blini (Russian type of pancakes). The full week when you eat a lot of butter, cheese and pancakes which are prohibited during the fasting period. 

I’m not a religious person but I’ve always loved that week of the year when you have a perfect excuse to eat as many pancakes as you want with the abundance of different toppings!

The photo I got from my family this weekend. Pancakes with red caviar is the best combination ever.

What is Forgiveness Sunday? 

This day everyone is supposed to be asking for forgiveness from their family members, friends and those who are around you to start the fasting period with clear mind and heart, have all your past sins forgiven.
Lots of people in Russia may not be religious and do not following the Great Lent strictly but still once a year Forgiveness Sunday practice is a tradition everyone follows...blindly. 

Why should we forgive? 

When I asked my family for a forgiveness past Sunday I have caught myself thinking of how strange it is to do it only once a year. Also, do we really mean it by pronouncing “please, forgive me for everything” phrase?
Forgiveness is the most powerful spiritual tool given to us but we hardly use it. It’s present in all the religions world wide as one of the keys to happiness and fulfilment.

When we forgive ourselves and others we become free. Free from judgement, anger, anxiety - all the negative emotions which hold YOU back. The only person who suffers from the sense of grievance, the pain of that unpleasant circumstances we keep playing over and over again in our mind after being hurt or not understood is only YOU.

Our ego wants to keep us safe and make us remember every detail of that scenario very clearly to not repeat it again. 

Just think of any recent situation when you felt angry because someone was unfair and did something wrong. I bet you do remember the feelings and this little stingy grudge is coming back so quickly to your head and body. You see, it doesn't protect you, it’s actually causing even more pain. And most of the time, the person who “hurt” you doesn’t even know he did.

That’s where forgiveness comes to free you from your mental and emotional burden.
Sometimes we put too much pressure and mentally punish ourselves even more than others around. You are the main person who you should forgive regularly. Be kind to yourself first.

Original photo from https://unsplash.com/photos/iNOgTXeT3OM

How to make forgiveness your daily practice?

Every situation is different. Sometimes it’s easy to forgive, sometimes it seems easier to forget but remember that our ego-mind won’t let us vanish the wound completely from the memory. So let’s begin learning forgiveness. 

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Easy start: 

1. Spend 5 mins before you go to sleep and think of the event and a person who made you feel hurt, upset, irritated or angry. (Colleague at work, waiter in a cafe, cab driver or other car in front of you in a traffic, it can be any small or big event).Visualise your emotions and that situation as vivid as it’s happening now.
2. Think of why you felt that way and speak it out loud as you are explaining this to that person (or think it out) 
3. Make a decision to forgive and say to that person: I’m forgiving you for what happened. Repeat it several times imagining that you are looking in the eyes of that person. Try to empathize with them and put some energy to actually forgive.
4. Send love and light his or her way (especially when you are forgiving yourself) 
5. Take a deep breath and be grateful for what you have learned from that person and situation. Even if it’s a practice of forgiveness 

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The magic is that even you never spoke to this person about the situation but you already forgave him or her in your imagination, that’s all what your mind needs to believe in it. We are what we believe in and we create our own reality.

Sometimes it’ll take several times of forgiveness practice if the wound is deep and too painful. Just believe that if you do you will feel free and happier.
But if there’s an event or person in your life you can hardly forgive, you can start the process with eating a couple of pancakes first ;) 

Although, I do have another very powerful forgiveness technique and will be happy to share it with you other time.

Let me know if you learned something new about #forgiveness, #Russia or #orthodox traditions :)

Happy to hear your comments and questions!