Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter

Orthodox Christians have celebrated Easter on Sunday, April 8 and for seven days after the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ they enjoy the Bright Week.

Easter is a very important celebration for Romanians, who prepare for this special event with 40 days of Lent, a ritual of purification of the body and soul, by fasting, confessing, doing charity, and forgiving. There are lots of traditions for the Orthodox Easter but one of the most important, aside from the special religious services, is painting Easter eggs.

Each year, on the night before Easter, Romanians put on some new clothes and go to Church at midnight, to lights candles from the priests’ candles. The light from these candles symbolizes the return of Jesus from the dead. It’s a very special moment and the sight of hundreds of candles in the night can take the breath away. After attending the religious service, everyone goes home, carefully holding their candle. Easter meal contains red eggs, lamb, cheese, lots of vegetables, and the traditional Romanian cake of this celebration - “Pasca”.

After the Easter, Romanians celebrate the Bright Week. Divine Services are completely different during this time than any other time of the year. Everything during the service is sung joyfully, rather than read. There is no reading from the Psalter, and the services are much shorter than usual. There is no fasting during Bright Week. The Holy Doors in the iconostasis remain open throughout the entire week, and the Artos (a leavened loaf of bread that was blessed during the Paschal Vigil) remains in the church and is venerated by everyone as they enter the temple as a way of "greeting the Resurrected Christ".

For this year’s Easter, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania sent a video message, stressing that ‘Holy Easter is the celebration of life’s victory over death and the triumph of joy over sorrow.’ Romanian Patriarch called upon all the believers to offer merciful love, peace and joy to others, especially to the orphans, the sick, the poor, the grieving, and the lonely.

Message of Patriarch Daniel:

The Resurrection of Christ is the foundation of the resurrection of all humans. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, Saint Paul teaches in his first epistle to the Corinthians.

The life of all the mankind is therefore directed towards resurrection, while the present physical universe is directed to a new heaven and a new earth in which death will no longer be, as we read in the book of Revelation, chapter 21.

That is why, on Easter night we sing: Now all things have been filled with light, both heaven and earth and those beneath the earth.

Since the feast of Holy Easter is the celebration of life’s victory over death and the triumph of joy over sorrow, we are called to offer merciful love, peace and joy to those around us, especially to the orphans, the sick, the poor, the grieving, and the lonely.

On the feast of Holy Pascha, we wish you all good health and salvation, peace and joy, addressing you the Easter greeting: Christ is Risen!

Before the beginning of the Ninth Hour on Bright Saturday, the Holy Doors are closed, and the services begin to return to their more normal form, although the chanting of the Troparion of Pascha, "Christ is risen from the dead...", as well as certain other paschal hymns, continue to be chanted until Ascension.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Sunday conveyed an Easter message on his Facebook page, urging the Romanians to enjoy harmony and understanding next to their beloved. “On the Holy Easter, the holiday of communion and solidarity, I wish you to enjoy harmony and understanding alongside the people you love! Christ Is Risen!” - President’s message reads.

Other Romanian governmental high officials have sent messages for the Easter, wishing Romanian citizens that the Holy Light of the Resurrection bring them hope, peace of mind, health, joys and happiness.

Source:RRA,Basilica.ro