Orthodox Christians in more than 60 countries of the world today celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.
Easter on the Julian calendar is celebrated by Russian, Serbian, Georgian, Constantinople, Greece, Bulgaria, Jerusalem and other Orthodox churches.
Easter is the most important and most joyfull Christian holiday because the essence of Christian teaching signifies Christ’s resurrection from the dead as the victory of faith and life over death.
On Easter, the altar doors are removed in order to show that Jesus Christ has defeated death by the resurrection and opened the gates of Heaven.
People celebrate this holiday by saying: “Christ resurrected” and “He truly resurrected.” The whole week after holiday is called the Bright week, and joyus church songs are sung.
Preparations for Easter traditionally begin on Thursday, and continue on Friday as a reminder of the day Jesus Christ was crucified at the Golgotha hill over Jerusalim.
Since this is a day of great sadness for Christians, he is characterized by a strict fast, by refraining from any joy and celebration. On Easter Friday, eggs are painted, mostly red, symbolizing Jesus’ blood.
Patriarch Irinej with the Archbishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church congratulated the Easter to all Christians who celebrate this holiday on the Old Calendar and said in his epistle that there is no man today, a believer or a infidel, who would not want at least for a moment to participate in true joy, but that there is no joy and peace from nowhere.
“There is lack of spirituality, the soul is obsessed with the personal aspirations and desires that come from self-love and self-pity, which leads to spiritual death and it results in insolence and negligence for eternal salvation,” said the Patriarch.
We are witnesses, it goes without saying, the total alienation and disruption, first in the family itself, where the community among the spouses is increasingly unstable, and the mutual disrespect of the parents leaves an indelible wound on children’s souls.
The Serbian Otrhodox Church invited its spiritual children to respect and preserve sanctity of marriage, as it is the foundation of a healthy and indestructible family.
“Keep in love the secret of life that God has sanctifieded”, the Patriarch said.
Source: Tanjug
