The priest told how to pray properly on Easter
Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter on April 12, the main Christian holiday on which prayer acquires a special, solemn sound. However, the clergy emphasize that during this period it is important not to limit oneself to formal reading of texts, but to strive for meaningful conversion to God. About how to tune in to prayer communication and which prayers to read on Easter — in the material of Izvestia.
What is the special feature of the Easter prayer?
Easter is the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, so prayer on this day is built around the theme of the victory of life over death. During this period, not only the content of the prayers changes, but also their very reading. It is based on gratitude, joy and glorification of God for the accomplished Resurrection.
"If during Great Lent they pay attention to repentance, awareness of their sins, and correction of their lives, then the Easter prayer, like the prayers during the following Bright Week, is filled with bright, calm joy. At the same time, its peculiarity lies in its simplicity and depth," said Priest Alvian Tkhelidze, head of the youth department of the Stavropol Diocese, in an interview with Izvestia.
Priests note that a short address to God, uttered with understanding and feeling, can be more meaningful than a long but formal reading.
Even the main Easter greeting "Christ is risen!" takes on a special meaning on this day. It becomes not just a traditional formula of communication, but a kind of short prayer. The answer "Truly he is risen!" confirms this belief and makes each such greeting a part of the common prayer space.
What is important to remember during prayer
The main thing that the clergy pay attention to is the inner state of a person. Easter is not a time for the formal reading of prayer texts, but a moment of living experience of the joy of the Resurrection. On this day, it is not so much the number of prayers read that is especially important, as attention, sincerity and involvement in the prayer process itself.
Pastors emphasize that prayer must be meaningful. It is better to limit yourself to a short text, but read it carefully, understanding each word, than mechanically pronounce a long rule without delving into its content. It is important to take your time, pause, think about the meaning of what you are saying and try to relate it to your inner state.
If possible, you should take your mind off everyday worries, put down your phone, remove external stimuli, and try to maintain silence, both externally and internally. Even a few minutes of such attentive prayer, according to the priests, can be more valuable than a long but absent-minded reading.
Is it possible to pray in your own words
On Easter, believers are encouraged to visit the church and take part in the festive liturgy. According to Priest Alvian Tkhelidze, common prayer has a special power because it unites people and allows them to better understand the meaning of the holiday. But if this is not possible, personal prayer is also acceptable.
"A person can address God in his own words. At the same time, one should not immerse oneself in mournful and anxious thoughts. Even if a person has serious reasons for concern, the church tradition calls for putting them aside at least for a while and focusing on the joy of the holiday," he said.
At the same time, the clergy advise not to overload yourself with long prayer rules. Prayer should be natural, calm, and appropriate to the state of joy that the Church offers every believer to experience. It is also important to maintain a prayerful state outside the temple: avoid conflicts and show attention to others.
What do they pray for on the Resurrection of Christ?
On the bright holiday of Easter, Orthodox Christians turn to God with prayers for peace in the family and in the country, for the health of relatives, for forgiveness of offenses and inner peace, as well as for spiritual salvation — their own and their loved ones, filling their words with special joy and gratitude.
Also on this day and throughout Holy Week, believers give thanks for the gift of life, ask for strengthening in faith, help in difficulties and well-being. At the same time, Alvian Tkhelidze draws attention to the fact that during the Easter period there are no commemorations of the deceased, but they pray only for the living.
"There are special days in the church calendar when we pray for the dead. Traditionally, church-wide commemoration is celebrated on Radonitsa, which falls on the ninth day after Easter (in 2026, this day falls on April 21. The Easter period is a time of joy, when we rejoice that Christ has risen and each of us can be an heir to Paradise," the priest explained.
What prayers to read on Easter
On Easter Day and throughout Holy Week, believers are encouraged to read or sing the troparion of the feast: "Christ is risen from the dead, death is corrected." This text becomes central and is repeated many times both in church and in home prayer.
Instead of the usual morning and evening prayers, the so—called "Easter Hours" are often recited - short texts based entirely on Easter themes. They include troparia, kontakions, and prayer invocations that replace the standard prayer rule.
A special place in the Orthodox tradition is occupied by the prayer "We have seen the Resurrection of Christ," better known as the "Sunday Song." It is a solemn profession of faith in Christ, the God who became man, lived without sin, suffered and rose again.
Initially, the hymn was part of the Easter service at the site of the crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, but over time it began to be performed everywhere — not only at Easter, but also at Sunday services, most often at matins after reading the Gospel.
The Paschal canon, compiled by St. John of Damascus, is also used. It consists of solemn hymns that reveal the meaning of the Resurrection and call for spiritual joy. At home, believers can read individual parts of it or listen to liturgical recordings.
The clergy emphasize that there is no strict list of obligatory prayers. It is permissible to read ordinary prayers if they are close to a person, but it is important that the general mood of prayer corresponds to the spirit of the holiday.
Easter Troparion "Christ is Risen from the Dead"
Troparion, glas 5:
"Christ has risen from the dead, restoring death to death, and giving life to those who are in the grave" is read three times.
Kontakion, glas 8:
"Though thou didst descend into the grave, without death, but thou didst destroy the power of hell, and thou didst rise again, as a conqueror, O Christ God, proclaiming to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice, and grant peace to Thy apostles, and grant resurrection to the fallen."
Prayer "Having seen the Resurrection of Christ"
"Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the Only sinless One. We worship Your cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy Resurrection: For You are our God, do we not know anything else about You, we call Your name. Come, all believers, let us worship the holy resurrection of Christ: for joy has come to the whole world through the Cross. Always blessing the Lord, we sing of His resurrection: for having endured crucifixion, destroy death by death."
Prayer to the Risen Lord Jesus
"Glory be to You, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, for you have vouchsafed me to be unworthy, having passed through the field of holy fasting, worshipped by Your Divine Passion, and seen the all-joyful day of Your glorious Resurrection from the tomb, in which you have freed the souls of the righteous who have been bound in hell for ever. That divine freedom of spirit and flesh, my dearest Saviour, and I wish that You may absolve me, bound by many sins, and grant that the life-giving light of Your Resurrection may shine in the gloom of my soul.
For I see Your innumerable generosity and unspeakable love for mankind, for you not only brought me into existence from non-existence, and having adorned Your image with Your likeness, you set me up as master of all creation, but also, having fallen from on high and enslaved the enemy, you did not forsake me, but having redeemed me with Your priceless Blood, you provided me with the grace of baptism O thou, may I look upon the first possession. But you, wretched one, having been tainted by the mind of the flesh, have turned back and become a slave to sin and passions, for you alone have destroyed all the gifts of Your grace.
And now, for I do not know what I will do; moreover, having remembered the words of Your most pure mouth, for you did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and I, as one of these, come with faith and humility to your life-giving tomb, bearing neither the perfumes nor the stench of the world, for I am naked and empty. But above all, I hope to find in him the forgiveness of my sins and the renewal of my unclean life.
Look upon me, therefore, as I repent and desire to serve You, and do not deny the grace of Your Resurrection! By Thy life-giving death and burial, slay my fierce passions, yes, as I am dead and buried, I live in this world. By Thy glorious ascension, raise up my soul, mortified by sin, and revive my conscience, which is the most necessary thing in the world.
By Thy ascension, cast me away from the vain and soulful goods of the earth, and create me to be wise above, so that I may not live and please myself, but serve and work for You, my Lord and God, just as I will be worthy to worship Your Resurrection on earth, so I will be worthy to see You, my dearest Redeemer, and in heaven, Having been crowned with glory and honor on the cross for accepting death, and having stood at the right hand of Your majesty, with the archangels and angels, and with all my brothers redeemed by You, I sing to You forever and ever: Hallelujah! Amen to that."
Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions and prohibitions on Krasnaya Gorka.
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