"The great Easter holiday gives us love and hope, faith in goodness and justice"

Chants, a sea of candles and red vestments of priests — this was Easter 2025. Believers greeted her on the night of April 19th to 20th — in Moscow this year, she was almost as warm as the day before, breaking the temperature record of the last 50 years. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia wished the faithful to give praise and glory to the risen Savior, embrace each other with love and share Easter joy with everyone. How the capital celebrated the celebration, what happened in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and how the Holy Fire was delivered to Moscow — in the Izvestia report.

Victory Day over the Forces of Evil

On the eve of Easter, on Holy Saturday, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed the faithful with the words that the church tradition does not accidentally refer to the Resurrection of Christ as the feast of feasts and the celebration of celebrations.

— The Resurrection of Christ is a solid foundation of our faith and hope. It contains the transformation and renewal of every human being, the light of eternal life and the source of eternal joy. The resurrection of Christ destroyed the most terrible enemies of the human race — sin and death, destroyed the barrier between God and people and freed us from the power of evil," he said.

The Patriarch called on us to give praise and glory to the Risen Savior, embrace each other with love and share the unfading Easter joy with everyone with whom God brings us together on the path of life.

Before the start of the Easter service, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church called Easter "victory Day."

— Easter is Victory Day. We know that Victory Day is associated with victory in war, and Easter is victory day, associated with victory over the most terrible enemy, the devil, and the forces of evil that reigned supreme in the world. No philosophy, even the most refined, could free people from this domination. And the Lord Jesus Christ, not being a philosopher, brought this truth into the world. He discovered God's truth, based on which people are able to overcome evil. And what does it mean to defeat evil? It means becoming happy. After all, human misery and misfortune are caused by evil. Sometimes we are aware of this connection, sometimes we are not aware, but this fact itself does not disappear.

Evil has not disappeared, but man has gained the opportunity to fight and overcome it by the power of grace.

— Let us give praise and glory to the risen Savior, embrace each other with love and share the unfading Easter joy with everyone with whom God brings us together on our way of life, testifying in word and deed that Christ is truly Risen! — the patriarch called the faithful.

During his Easter televised address, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church pointed out that Christ's victory over death is universal. It does not divide, but unites, and its fruits are available to everyone.

—May your hearts be filled with the unfading light of the Resurrection of Christ, an inexhaustible source inspiring active love," the Patriarch emphasized. — Hug your family and friends, congratulate them on the holiday, support those who need your help and your participation, so that they can feel the creative and transformative power of Easter joy. We will pray and work so that a just and lasting peace may be established in the expanses of historical Russia and that no forces can destroy the spiritual unity of the people who found grace in the Kiev baptismal font.

President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Orthodox believers around the world and all Christians on Easter.

"The great Easter holiday gives us love and hope, faith in goodness and justice, unites us around enduring spiritual and moral ideals. During the Easter celebrations, I would like to note with deep satisfaction that today, as at all times, the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations play a great, inspiring role in strengthening social harmony and mutual understanding between people, educating the younger generation, and strengthening family values," the Kremlin website says.

The Head of state also noted that "the most sincere recognition deserves the efforts of religious organizations aimed at supporting defenders of the Fatherland and their loved ones, and the implementation of sought-after patriotic, charitable, and educational initiatives."

"The Resurrection of Christ proclaims to the world the triumph of life and love, gives great spiritual joy, strengthens faith in goodness and sets us up for good deeds. In the capital, with its centuries—old Orthodox traditions, Easter is a citywide holiday celebrated by millions of Muscovites," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in his congratulatory message.

How Easter was celebrated in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

According to tradition, the Patriarchal divine service was held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Since ten o'clock in the evening, hundreds of Orthodox Christians lined up in front of the temple, at least from a distance to feel like participants in a religious procession. They were allowed inside only by invitation. Thousands of believers filled the temple. Easter and the Resurrection of Christ are one of the most important events of the entire Christian world. Among those who attended the service were mothers whose sons died in the SVR zone, representatives of the Orthodox Church who do not live in Russia.

For example, a woman with three children, a son and two daughters, came to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for service. According to her, they have been living in Germany for several years.

— My daughters are currently studying in Germany, and I am working. My son came to study in Moscow. Orthodox Christians are not oppressed abroad, on the contrary, we support each other very much," she said.

A representative of the delegation from South Korea told Izvestia that he had come to Russia to see how Easter was celebrated here.

— In our country, the majority are atheists, and we also practice Buddhism and Catholicism, but I wanted to get acquainted with Orthodox traditions. Therefore, when I received an offer to go to the Easter service in Russia, I agreed without hesitation," he added.

A woman with a photograph of a young man in a military uniform sat modestly in a corner of the temple. This is her son, who died during a special operation.

"We used to go to the Easter service with the whole family, but now I'm alone, and my son's photo supports me mentally," she said.

For all those who came, this night is one of the brightest events, allowing them to feel the peace and colors of life. Vladimir Putin also came to the Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This time he was on duty with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

Patriarch Kirill called on the faithful to pray for peace in the historical territory of Russia.

After the patriarch's address, a procession took place. The number of people who had been waiting for this event since Saturday evening had decreased by about half. But those who waited were very inspired and pleased that they managed to feel the atmosphere of the holiday, even though not inside the temple.

How was the celebration in the temples?

Sergei Kudryashov, a parishioner of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Nekrasovka, told Izvestia that he had come to celebrate Easter with his family, his wife and two daughters.

"We always come here for Easter, it's our family tradition," he said. — It's impossible to sleep on a night like this, even children understand this and they always rush to the temple themselves. They especially like to walk with lighted lamps in a procession around the temple. It's a real adventure for them.

Another long-time parishioner of the church, Alevtina, admitted that she did not fast very strictly, for example, she sometimes ate fish and seafood.

— The fast, of course, was hard, calculate for yourself how much time has passed since its beginning — from March 3 to April 19, almost a month and a half, — she noted. — But then it's all the more joyful to celebrate the holiday. In general, food restrictions during the fast are not the main thing. The main thing is spiritual life and internal changes.

The peculiarity of the Easter service is that the royal gates are always open that night. The faithful can observe what is happening in the altar throughout the service.

The church of the Holy Martyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Zyuzin could hardly accommodate the faithful who came to the Easter service. Some of them even came from other regions.

"We came from Tatarstan to visit the children, and today the whole family came to the church to celebrate Easter," parishioners Elena and Sergey told Izvestia.

Some of the parishioners remained inside the church during the procession and waited with excitement when "Christ is risen!" would be heard for the first time from behind its doors and it would be possible to answer "Truly he is risen!" in chorus.

During the service, the Easter greeting "Christ is Risen" was performed for the parishioners in various languages, including Greek, Georgian, and English. A children's choir also sang.

"According to the project, our church is designed for 500 people, but today there were more only at the communion," said the rector of the church, Priest John Omelianchuk.

After the service, all believers in the courtyard of the temple were treated to colored eggs and tea with cakes. Also, everyone could light candles from the Holy Fire, which was delivered to the temple before the liturgy.

The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire takes place on Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It also happened this year. The fire descended on the walls of the Kuvuklia, a stone chapel located above the cave where the body of Jesus Christ was buried. Pilgrims from all over the world gathered in the temple with bundles of 33 candles — according to the number of earthly years of Christ's life — quickly passed the fire to each other while the bells rang.

Members of the Russian delegation on a Roscosmos Tu-204 Sergei Korolev aircraft delivered a piece of Holy Fire to Moscow on the evening of April 19 for the Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In addition, Holy Fire lamps were delivered to 15 churches in Moscow, where everyone will be able to light their lamps during Holy Week.