Bitter sweetness
I made my first Kolyva today… a test run of a traditional Eastern Orthodox offering that appears on the table during a memorial service. The symbolism of this dish is a reminder of the bitter sweetness of falling asleep on the physical side of the veil, and awaking on the spiritual side. During the service, the Kolyva becomes a birthday cake for the dead, with three candles lit. After the service, the cake is shared.
Usually the dish is decorated with almonds, silver sugar dots spelling the initials of the deceased, with a cross in the center. I created a stencil for mine, sprinkling cinnamon atop marking a pattern of two overlapping ripple forms.
