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- April 12 — the greatest holiday of Easter has arrived: The true story of the Lord's Resurrection
April 12 — the greatest holiday of Easter has arrived: The true story of the Lord's Resurrection
Easter is the main Christian holiday, the meaning of which in the Orthodox tradition is associated with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of biblical prophecies about human salvation. The Resurrection of Christ is considered as the central event of the Christian faith, which changed the concept of life and death and became the basis of the church's teaching on salvation. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The origins of Easter and Biblical prophecies
In 2026, Christians of the Eastern Rite will celebrate the main Orthodox event on April 12. Easter has its roots in the earliest stages of Christian history. The priests point out that its meaning dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. Having sinned in paradise, people were deprived of the opportunity to return to perfection, and from that moment on, evil entered human nature.
— God promised people that a savior would come. And since then, humanity has been waiting for the coming of Christ, living in expectation. And so God, who has always existed at all times, became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God who became man,— said the head of the Youth Department of the Stavropol Diocese, Priest Alvian Tkhelidze, in a conversation with Izvestia.
According to him, in his earthly life, Jesus preached and performed miracles, but faced opposition and was crucified. At the same time, remaining God, he descended into hell, destroying its gates, and on the third day he rose according to the prophecies, which became the cornerstone dogma of Christianity.
How did the Resurrection of Christ take place and how is it unique
The Gospel does not describe the very moment of Christ's Resurrection. In the Christian tradition, it is considered hidden from direct observation. At the same time, the Resurrection is not presented as an obvious miracle, demonstrating Divine power and forcing faith. Its meaning is revealed through a personal encounter with the Risen Christ.
At first, the disciples did not recognize the risen Christ. Mary Magdalene mistook Him for a gardener, and the students on the way to Emmaus mistook Him for a casual companion. The realization came gradually — through communication and the breaking of bread.
— It is important to see the difference with other evangelical resurrections here. Lazarus and the others resurrected in the Gospel returned to their former lives and died again. It was a return to the old order: death retreated for a while, but was not destroyed as an inescapable law. Christ rose again in a different way. The Apostle Paul says, "Death no longer has power over Him" (Rom. 6:9), — said Priest Ilya Savastyanov in an interview with Izvestia.
The Spiritual significance of Easter and the Resurrection of Christ
The resurrection of Christ also does not return man to the condition of Adam before the fall. Adam was sinless, but union with God remained a potential. Through the Resurrection of Christ, Christians receive the opportunity for the fullness of this unity.
— Adam was sinless in Paradise, but this was not yet the fullness of that unity with God to which man is called. His incorruption remained a potential opportunity, granted but not yet realized,— said Priest Savastyanov.
Priest Alvian Tkhelidze adds that faith in the Resurrection gives everyone a chance for their own resurrection and the legacy of paradise: "Christianity lives by the belief that Christ has risen, and each of us can also rise later, in the last days, and be the heir of paradise."
Traditions of celebrating Easter in Christianity
Easter in the Christian tradition is accompanied by solemn divine services, processions, the singing of Easter hymns (in particular, the troparion "Christ is risen from the dead") and the consecration of festive food — cakes, cottage cheese Easter and colored eggs. These elements were formed as part of the liturgical and national church tradition and symbolically reflect the idea of Resurrection and renewal of life.
The main event is the Easter night service, which begins on Holy Saturday late in the evening and lasts until late at night. It includes a procession around the church, the reading of the Gospel of the Resurrection of Christ and the solemn proclamation of Easter joy. The procession symbolizes the path of believers towards the Risen Christ and the spiritual renewal of man.
During the service, the faithful sing Easter hymns, and the clergy dress in light or red liturgical robes as a sign of the triumph of life over death. In churches, the greeting "Christ is Risen! — He is truly Risen!", which persists throughout the Easter period.
The symbols of the festive table occupy a special place. The cake is traditionally considered as an analogue of the church's artos — consecrated bread, symbolizing the presence of Christ among the faithful. Cottage cheese Easter, as a rule, has the shape of a truncated pyramid and symbolizes the Holy Sepulchre and the Resurrection. Colored eggs are perceived as a sign of new life and victory over death; red in the Orthodox tradition is associated with the joy of the Resurrection and the sacrifice of Christ.
The consecration of cakes and eggs is usually performed on Holy Saturday or after the Easter service. This rite is not obligatory from the point of view of dogma, but it is widespread as a popular church practice that unites believers on a festive day.
Easter celebrations continue for forty days — until the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. During this period, churches maintain a special festive system of worship, and believers continue to greet each other with Easter words.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
