Orthodox believers celebrated Easter

"Christ is Risen!" The good news of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ again spread around the Orthodox world. As has been the case for many centuries, thousands of Christians flocked to Jerusalem for the traditional Holy Fire rite in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was erected over the place where the Son of God was crucified, buried, and then resurrected. The main holiday in the church calendar was preceded by the longest (48 days) and strictest Great Lent, which began on 27 February and ended with Holy Week dedicated to the last days of Christ's earthly life…

In Orthodoxy Holy Saturday, which is often called Silent Saturday, marks the end of Holy Week and the final day of Christ's earthly journey. From the very morning, Orthodox believers completed the traditional preparations for the Easter dinner, had their Easter cakes and colored eggs blessed in churches. On this day, it is customary to spiritually tune in with the upcoming holiday, help those in need, ask for forgiveness and let go of grievances.

The Easter vigil started at Orthodox churches on Saturday night. By the beginning of the liturgical celebration, Belarusian pilgrims brought a particle of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to the Holy Spirit Cathedral, the main Orthodox church of Minsk. The Paschal Matins began at 23.10 and was followed by the Easter procession around the church. The Easter service was led by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus.

Addressing the parishioners in his Paschal message, Metropolitan Veniamin noted: “The Resurrection of Christ is a beacon in a stormy sea. It always shows us the way to the solid foundation of our faith and our joy, which no one and nothing can take away from us.” He went on saying that “in these difficult times each of us can multiply the kindness and love in the place that the Lord assigned to him”. The head of the Orthodox Church wished the believers: “Let the light of Paschal joy illuminate the heart of every person, and the word about the Cross and the Resurrection always permeate all our thoughts and actions.”

The head of state also extended Easter greetings to Orthodox believers in Belarus. This year Aleksandr Lukashenko celebrated Easter in his hometown and visited the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Shklov. Here, he lit a candle together with his son Nikolai, talked to parishioners and presented the Lord Almighty Icon to archpriest Andrei Rybkov. The president wished his compatriots “to live in peace” and noted: “If all of us do our jobs, we will preserve peace. We will do the impossible. In this situation, we will preserve peace on this land, at a time when things around us are changing at an astounding pace.”

Easter celebrations in Belarus in our photo gallery