Easter is the main triumph of the Orthodox Church. On Easter night in all the churches, a service is celebrated, which is distinguished by its solemnity and special magnificence.
Easter service begins on Saturday late at night. At about 11 o’clock in the evening, the service of the Saturday midnight service begins on which the canon is read by the priest in the center of the church in front of the holy shroud. At the end of the reading of the canon, the priest brings the holy shroud to the altar, and the midnight office itself soon ends. The canon is called the cry of the Virgin. It describes the experiences of the Mother of God who saw the crucifixion of Her Son.
The Easter service itself begins at 12 a.m. on Sunday. A service is held for the Easter morning service, beginning with a procession around the church. The choir sings to the poem about the resurrection of Christ, announcing to people that this event is sung by angels in heaven. Before entering the temple after the procession, the priest gives an exclamation, after which the singing of the Easter troparion Christ Risen begins. With this singing, the clergy, choir and people go to the temple, where the Easter matinee continues, consisting of the singing of a certain Easter canon of John Damascene, the lamp of Easter, Easter sticher. At the end of Matins on a lectern, the priest reads a congratulatory word for the day of Easter, written by Saint John Chrysostom. The word holds the idea that on Easter day, everyone should enjoy the triumph of the Orthodox faith.
After the Easter matins, the choir sings a few Easter hours (a short worship service consisting of singing some Easter prayers glorifying the resurrection of Christ).
At the end of the hours, the festive liturgy of John Chrysostom is celebrated. A feature of this service is the reading of the gospel in various languages. Depending on the philological skills of a priest or bishop, the gospel can be read in Latin, Ancient Greek, English, Spanish, French, German and other languages.
Also, at the end of the reading of the gospel, the priest announces to the parishioners the congratulatory words written by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on this day. At the end of the liturgy, a congratulatory word is read from the ruling bishop of the diocese.
After the end of the Easter liturgy, the people do not diverge, as the blessing of the Easter meal (eggs, Easter cakes, pasok) takes place. Certain prayers are read by the priest for permission to eat meat, because Orthodox Christians were forbidden to eat animal products until Easter day, since the charter of the Orthodox Church prescribes a certain abstinence by Lent.
After the consecration of the Passover, people go home. Usually, the entire Easter service ends at three in the morning, but the exact time of the end of the service is impossible to name. In every Orthodox church, Easter service is performed at different speeds. It should only be noted that the characteristic features of the Easter service are solemn singing, which is carried under the vaults of the church during the entire divine service.
