This page is also available in Russian

On April 15-16, 2017 all Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter. Wellington church of Christ the Saviour is no exception. On Saturday, on Easter eve, all church members came to the blessing of Easter buns, eggs and cheese. The night service started at 11 p.m., with around 100 people in church. The holiday hymns started with Easter matins, at the end of which the priest brought the shroud of Christ into the altar (before that, it was placed in the centre of the church). Easter sacred procession started at midnight. Some of the parishioners lead the procession, carrying icons. Everyone was holding candles. The first exclamation ‘Christ is Risen!’ was proclaimed in front of the closed church doors. After multiple responses ‘He is Risen indeed!’ the service continued inside the church. The priest changed his robes several times during the service, thus bringing even more ornament to this festive matins. Although not everyone could stay for very long, still many people stayed till the end of the service. The Holy Gospel during the liturgy was read in several languages: French, English, Maori, Greek, Old Slavonic, Ossetian, and Chinese.

At the end of the service (that is, about 3 a.m.) everyone who was in church, gathered in the hall, and after a wholesome festive Easter ‘early breakfast’, went home.

(21)