The Beauty of Tradition: Zhavoronki

40 soldiers confessed they were Christians in the early 300s.  40 soldiers were condemned for their beliefs.  They were placed unclothed on a frozen pond on a bitter cold night.  One soldier ran away.  During the night a guardsman witnessed the existence of God and took the place of the 40th soldier.  In remembrance of the 40 soldiers who died for their faith it is tradition to bake 40 zhavoronki (larks). 

I find myself puzzled that I never asked why it is that we bake breads that look like birds in order to remember 40 soldiers.  I read on another blog how a mother explained to her children that the lark symbolizes the Holy Spirit which was inside each of the men the night they gave their lives for what they believed in.  But the more traditional reason comes down to the fact that the first day of spring is on the same day that we commemorate these 40 soldiers.  Since the lark is the first bird of spring, the two were combined to make a tradition to last for years and years.

And so, my baking experience:

Also, I haven't made zhavoronki in quite some time.  As a result, I decided I knew better than ALL the generations of women before me who made them a certain way. Hence my zhavoronki came out more like fat airplanes with eyes.

I tried to persevere and try again.  So I searched 'zhavoronki' on the Internet and found a lovely Russian site that some marvellous Russian woman with immense baking talent and skill posted a step by step instruction on how to make flying larks. Again, instead of reverting back to the traditional way of making zhavoronki, which is basically make a knot with the dough, I decided once again to be different, try something new, and aspire to be like this amazing Russian baker. 

Although there was some improvement throughout the process, there were definitely challenges with consistency in size.

"Tradition!"