Mrs. Sarakosti
When I was a child, I remember my mother making us Mrs. Sarakosti! What joy! I would place her in a spot and anxiously wait for the week to pass so I could cut off one of her little legs!
'Mom, why does she have 7 little legs?' 'Because we want 7 weeks until Easter! The 1st leg is on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the 2nd leg is on St. Gregory Palamas' Day, the 3rd leg is on the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, the 4th leg is on St. John Climacus' Day, the 5th leg is on the Day of St. Mary of Egypt, the 6th leg is on Palm Sunday, and the 7th leg is on Easter Sunday!'
'Mom, why doesn't she have a mouth?' 'Without a mouth, she won't gossip, judge, and, of course, because she's fasting!'
'She's holding a cross, right?' 'Yes! Her little hands are crossed because she's praying, and she's also holding the cross because she goes to church!'
Memories... that have left an indelible mark on my memory... that I, in turn, carried on with my daughter and son every year.
Throughout Greece, we encounter the custom of Mrs. Sarakosti. In some places, she was made of cloth filled with feathers, while others made her out of paper. In Pontus, they made 'Koukouras.' It was a potato or an onion hung from the ceiling, having seven wings. And every week, they would remove one wing. Some would make it out of dough and hide a coin inside. When Easter arrived and all the little legs were cut off, they would break Mrs. Sarakosti into small pieces until someone found the coin and became the lucky one! In some parts of Greece, they would hide the last little leg inside a dried fig in the basket with dried figs. Whoever found it would be the lucky one!
The dough for Mrs. Sarakosti is made with flour, salt, and water. We add salt to prevent it from spoiling. Attention! This dough is not meant to be eaten!!! It should last for 50 days!
For my Sarakosti, I used 300 grams of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons of salt, and 170 grams of water. We shape the silhouette of Mrs. Sarakosti, give her a little leg, a cross on her head or her crossed little hands, and, of course, her seven little legs. We bake her for about 30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius. We don't want her to bake, but to dry.
The tradition says that when you make Mrs. Sarakosti, you should sing the traditional song:
Mrs. Sarakosti, an old custom it may be Grandmothers used to make her with salt and water, you see
On her head, she wore a cross, a jewel for all to view Her mouth they forgot to make, as she fasted too
And they counted the days with her seven legs so neat They would cut off one each week until Easter's sweet retreat
Happy Easter! May you be healthy!
