Day 7 - Kyra Sarakosti

Today is a great day for a togetherness project.  We have so much to do, and sometimes it is nice to have company to do it all.  Today is the day for Kyra Sarakosti.  Have you met her?  She is a wonderful tool to use to keep track of the Lenten period -- sort of a calendar for Great Lent.  There are many variations in different parts of Greece of how they use such a tool, but here is the one that we know.  We know that the large, baked, unedible cookie hangs in the house, reminding us of several important facts about our religion  We discuss the details at the bottom of this page.

So, we make a cookie, similar to a baked homemade play dough.  Some people make Kyra Sarakosti out of paper, some make her out of fabric, like a pillow, some may use a boiled potato with seven (7) feathers.  But, for a togetherness project, whether with friends or family, the cookie is actually quite nice.  We make several and share with friends and close family, so we can all track Great Lent together.  Here is the recipe:

2-2 1/2 cups flour                                          1/2 cup salt

2-2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon                                   water (as much as needed)

Please do not eat this cookie.  It is not edible.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the wonderful webmasters of about.com and www.orthodoxmom.com for the source of the Kyra Sarakosti's printable templates and recipe (from www.orthodoxmom.com) that is shown below. Click here to go to the templates we have used. Template 1; Template 2; Template 3 (please note that these links were verified in March, 2013).

Combine the dry ingredients in  a large mixing bowl.  Mix while slowly adding the water until a firm dough is formed.  It should feel like bread dough -- not too wet, but not super-dry.

Each one of us got a ball of dough, and we each chose our own template to make.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to the desired thickness (about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick), and use a knife to cut out the figure.

See if the dough has been rolled out big enough for the template that you have.

We cut out the actual picture, along the lines, so that we could just trace the picture with a knife.

Cut around the edges of your template.

Pull away the extra dough, but do not discard it -- you may need it to make the arms and face.

It is tricky to cut in between the feet, be patient.

Use the knife or use dough to form Kyra Sarakosti's closed eyes, nose, arms, and details.  If you want to, add pleats to the skirt.

Here is an easy way to cut out the feet -- cut the leg line, then, cut the skirt line.  All you have to do is connect the two with a triangle shape to make the feet.

Use the knife to add the details.

Roll out the dough into small pieces to make the details that you want to add.

 Some people will gently wipe the cut figure with a damp cloth before baking to get a shiny cookie.  Bake at about 350 degrees F for 15-25 minutes, until the "cookies" are golden in colour.

Please do not eat this cookie.  It is not edible.

If you notice, Kyra Sarakosti is drawn in the image of a nun.  She does not have a mouth.  This is to represent the idea that we are fasting, and the mouth is unneeded.  Some people will put a small mouth to represent the fasting.  She has closed eyes or very innocent eyes.  This is because she is in prayer.  Her hands are folded together to, also, show the prayer.  And, Kyra Sarakosti has 7 (seven) feet or legs.  This is to represent the seven weeks of Great Lent.  Each week, one leg is broken off, and the ones that remain count the weeks of fasting that remain. 

As we continue to fast, we continue to pray, and they go together in a much more focused way through Great Lent.  Kyra Sarakosti reminds us, as does the prayer of St. Ephraim (copied directly from goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/outreach/lentenstudyprogram.pdf):

“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk; but give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother,  for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.

(The Prayer or St. Ephraim)