Today is Easter

The Orthodox Church is celebrating the glorious feast of the Resurrection of the Lord.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest among Christian holidays. It is preceded by the Easter fast, which lasts for 48 days and culminates with the glorious celebration of Easter. The week following Easter is called Bright Week (Brtskinvale Shvidkua).

According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ was crucified to save humanity and redeem it from sin. His prophecy — “On the third day I will rise from the dead” — was to be fulfilled three days after the crucifixion. On Sunday at dawn, the guards at the tomb felt an earthquake. Then they saw an angel who rolled away the stone from the tomb. Finally, they witnessed the Resurrection of the Savior. Through the crucifixion, Christ descended into hell and brought out the souls of the righteous. With the Resurrection of the Lord, the gates of Paradise were reopened to humankind.

A traditional custom of the Easter celebration is dyeing eggs red. This tradition is tied to Good Friday, the day of Christ’s crucifixion. According to legend, when Mary Magdalene was presented to the emperor, she symbolically offered him an egg and announced the Resurrection of Christ. The emperor laughed and said that believing such a thing would be as hard as believing that the egg would turn red. Before he could finish his sentence, the egg first turned pink and then red. Mary explained that the egg symbolizes life, and the red egg symbolizes the Resurrection. This became the beginning of the tradition of Christians exchanging red eggs to greet each other on Easter.