See how Christians in Russia and elsewhere celebrated Easter in a strange and foreign world environment
Easter, which is usually celebrated with brilliance, crowds and leaping joy in the Orthodox world for a full 40 days, looked very different this year amid the global pandemic. (Contrast this year's photos with the spectacular photo essay from Easter in Russia in 2018).The policies regarding church attendance vary from country to country and from city to city, but even in places where attendance is allowed, it is strictly regulated.
In Russia, many cities closed the churches to the public, with only the clergy permitted to participate in the service, while others allowed the faithful to attend as long as rules were followed. People invented various ways of celebrating as a community however. Many organized virtual choirs to sing Paschal chants. In Russia, a hashtag spread the idea for all the faithful forced to stay home to light a candle in their window around midnight on Ester, so as to celebrate Christ's resurrection as a community anyway.
However strange this Easter may have been for Christians all over the world, the faithful found ways to celebrate Christs' Resurrection and Triumph over Death. See photos below from Russia and other parts of the Orthodox World. Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
In Tbilisi (Georgia), on the eve of the holiday, the Orthodox came to the temple, but strictly kept their social distance.
Easter festive service in St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Krasnodar (Russia) was held without believers and was broadcast on the Internet
© REUTERS / EDUARD KORNIYENKO
Kazan Cathedral (Stavropol, Russia). The faithful came to church in masks
© AFP 2020 / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI
In Athens (Greece) the faithful were not permitted to attend services due to strict quarantine measures. For this reason, people lit up their candles with "holy fire" from small candles, left on the road in front of the embassy's church of Christ's Tomb. The Holy Fire had been brought earlier from Jerusalem.
© REUTERS / OGNEN TEOFILOVSKI
In South Macedonia, the Orthodox Easter service was St. John's the Baptist's monastery was livestreamed.
© SPUTNIK / ALEKSANDER KRYAZHEV
In Novosibirsk (Russia) churches were also closed due to the pandemic. The clergy held a procession around the Cathedral of the Ascension without the faithful.
© SPUTNIK / SERGEI PYATAKOV
The Leader of the Russian Church, Patriarch Kyril, during the service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (Russia)
© РИА Новости / Сергей Пятаков
Pokrov region (Russia)
© SPUTNIK / ALEKSEI DANICHEV
In St. Petersburg (Russia) the festive Easter service was livestreamed, as the churches were closed for the faithful.
© AFP 2020 / SERGEI GAPON
The service in the church in Galshtani near Minsk (Belarus) took place with the faithful following social distancing rules.
Many people simply watched a livestream source
Novosibirsk (Russia). Parishioners gathered behind the fence of the church. source
In Rostov-on-Don (Russia), the police officers arrived first to the service source
The Rostov Metropolitan initially asked for the faithful to exhibit humility and stay at home for Easter. No one was allowed into the churches. source
Ufa (Russia) The Easter service in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin took place behind closed doors
Samara (Russia) on Easter night
In Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), the doors were closed in the church and the lights were turned off. The service began by candlelight
Some churches were completely blocked off. Priests covered the windows with cloth so that it wasn’t visible from the street that the service was in progress.
Some faithful still made it inside through back doors.
Krasnoyarsk (Russia)
Moscow (Russia)
Moscow (Russia). Source
Moscow region (Russia) Source
Barnaul (Russia) Source
Barnaul (Russia) Source
Krasnoyarsk (Russia) Source
Krasnoyarsk (Russia) Source
Irkutsk (Russia) Source
Irkutsk, Russia source
Photo sources:
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