Resurrection Day: on Easter in the XX CENTURY, they prayed to ancient shrines

On the night of April 11-12, the Orthodox celebrated Easter. This great day fills the hearts of millions of people with sincere joy, faith in the all-conquering power of life, in the triumph of love, kindness and justice, Vladimir Putin said in a congratulatory telegram. He attended the main service of the country — in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. And Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in his address called on the faithful to support those in need and comfort the grieving, visit the sick and lonely, ask for forgiveness from all those who have been offended, and thank those who live and work nearby. This is the only way to gain the grace-giving power from the Lord and with its help become able to change and make the world a better place. How the main Christian holiday is celebrated in Moscow is described in the Izvestia article.

The true triumph of life

On Saturday morning, on the eve of Easter, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed "the archpastors, pastors, deacons, monastics and all the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church."

"In all the richness and diversity of human language, there are no words more joyful and desirable for a believing heart than this convincing evidence of the accomplished victory of life over death and good over evil,— his Easter message says. "Easter is an inexhaustible source of our great joy. <...> Cordially congratulating everyone on Easter, I again and again address to you the life—affirming and encouraging testimony that Christ is truly risen!"

And at night, in his traditional video message, he said that with the main hymn of the Easter holiday — "Christ is risen from the dead, death is corrected by death!" — the Church has been testifying to the world for two millennia about the all-conquering power of Divine love.

"They contain the true joy of being, the triumph of life, the light of hope, the source of faith," the patriarch noted. "By his glorious resurrection, the Lord defeated death itself and opened the gates of the Kingdom of heaven to us."

He recalled that the word "Easter" in translation means "transition, passage, deliverance" — and together with the Lord, people make this transition, strive for spiritual renewal and inner transformation.

"Following the commandments of Christ, let us support those in need and comfort the grieving. We will visit the sick and lonely," Patriarch Kirill urged. — Let's ask for forgiveness from everyone who has been offended, and let's thank those who live and work next to us. By doing this, we will be able to receive the grace—giving power from the Lord, and with its help we will be able to change ourselves and make the world around us a better place."

He also expressed the hope that the Easter message will become the solid foundation of our whole life — a life full of joy, love, faith and hope, and therefore true happiness and well—being.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated the Russians on the holiday.

"The great Easter holiday fills the hearts of millions of people with sincere joy, faith in the all—conquering power of life, in the triumph of love, goodness and justice, unites us around age-old paternal traditions, indisputable spiritual and moral values and ideals," his address says.

The Head of State added that the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations play a huge creative role in preserving Russia's rich historical and cultural heritage, strengthening the institution of the family, and educating the younger generations.

Service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The main Easter service in the country was held in the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It accommodates about 10 thousand parishioners. In total, about 2 million Russians were going to visit Moscow churches, which is half a million more than last year.

Easter night turned out to be windy and rainy in the capital. But believers began to gather in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior two hours before the start of the service, and within an hour it was full. Many came in festive clothes. Parishioner Lyubov put on a red cocoanut. Red is the Easter color, she reminded Izvestia.

— In general, Easter is colorful, it's all colors: blue, pink, and green. I always want to dress so that every day is different," she said. — The Lord gives us the strength to do everything so that everyone can have joy. I have only one wish: for as many people as possible to come to the temple. How much effort the patriarch spends on preaching, on making people hear the Word of God.

Andrey, a parishioner, told Izvestia that the power of prayer is felt at the festive patriarchal services. It is there that he feels God's special presence.

—Easter is a celebration of holidays, a celebration of celebrations, a celebration of life over death," he said. — This holiday is an affirmation of eternal life on earth. This gives us hope that our life will not end with death, but the Lord will resurrect us, just as he himself rose from the dead. And we will be where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but life is endless.

And Vyacheslav, a Muscovite, came to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for the first time.

— There are no expectations as such, I just want to join in. This is one of the most important temples in the capital of our Motherland. It's very interesting to visit, it will be very exciting to see," he said.

Vladimir Putin stood next to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin at the service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation Vladimir Yakunin, and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Anna Kuznetsova were also present. Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church also attended the Easter Liturgy: Archbishop Giovanni D'Agnello, Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, and Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, Ordinarius of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow. Billionaire Elon Musk's father Errol was also in the service.

Patriarch Kirill read out the catechumenary of St. John Chrysostom: "Those who fast and those who do not fast, rejoice today. The meal is full, enjoy it all. Taurus is great, let no one go hungry. All enjoy the feast of faith; all taste the riches of goodness. Let no one weep for their poverty, for the Kingdom has come for all. Let no one grieve for sins, because forgiveness has shone from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the death of the Savior has set us free."

The Patriarch also noted that on the eve of the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, an event of historical significance took place — with the assistance of the President of the Russian Orthodox Church, a great shrine, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, was transferred from the Tretyakov Gallery.

— And also the Don Icon of the Mother of God. Two of the most revered icons have been returned to the church," Patriarch Kirill noted, "and today they are here, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

He addressed Vladimir Putin and noted that the head of state has already done a lot that will go down in history as important and good deeds, but it is the transfer of these icons that will go down in the history of the Church and in the history of the people.

"Because the great shrines of the Russian land have been returned, before which generations and generations of our Orthodox people prayed, before which military leaders prayed on the eve of hard battles, before which kings, pious princes and our Orthodox people prayed," the patriarch said. — Of course, the stay of the icon (of the Vladimir Mother of God. — Ed.) preserved it from destruction, but did not preserve it from desecration. Because the shrine, which was intended to be in the temple, in front of which people were supposed to pray, has lost this meaning, which surpasses any other meaning, including artistic value.

The Russian president and the mayor of Moscow approached these icons, crossed themselves and bowed to them.

Patriarch Kirill also thanked Vladimir Yakunin, as a delegation from the St. Andrew the First—Called Foundation delivered a piece of the Easter Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Moscow.

"May God help you to continue to work for the glory of God, and we all have the joy of lighting our candles from the holy fire of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In total, the Holy Fire was transferred to 15 Moscow churches. The shrine was also delivered to dozens of Russian cities in all federal districts of the country.