Easter is the main celebration of the Orthodox Church. On Easter night, a divine service is performed in all churches, which is distinguished by its solemnity and special splendor.
Easter services begin late Saturday night. At about 11 o'clock in the evening, the service of the Saturday midnight office begins in the church, during which the canon is read by the priest in the center of the temple in front of the holy shroud. At the end of the reading of the canon, the priest brings the holy shroud into the altar, and the midnight office itself soon ends. The canon is called the Weeping of the Virgin. It describes the experiences of the Mother of God, who saw the crucifixion of her Son.
The Easter service itself begins at 12 o'clock in the morning with the onset of Sunday. The Easter service is performed, beginning with a procession of the cross around the church. The choir sings a stichera about the resurrection of Christ, announcing to people that this event is being sung by angels in heaven. Before entering the church after the procession, the priest gives an exclamation, after which the chanting of the Easter troparion Christ is Risen begins. With this singing, the clergy, the choir and the people go to the temple, where the Easter Matins continues, consisting of the singing of a certain Easter canon of John Damascene, the Easter lamp, the Easter stichera. At the end of Matins on a lectern, the priest reads a congratulatory word for the day of Holy Easter, written by St. John Chrysostom. The word conveys the idea that on the day of Holy Easter, every person should enjoy the triumph of the Orthodox faith.
After Easter Matins, the choir sings for several Easter hours (a short service consisting of the chanting of some Easter prayers glorifying the resurrection of Christ).
At the end of the hours, the festive liturgy of John Chrysostom is celebrated. A special feature of this service is the reading of the gospel in various languages. Depending on the philological skills of the priest or bishop, the gospel can be read in Latin, Ancient Greek, English, Spanish, French, German and other languages.
Also, at the end of the reading of the Gospel, the priest announces to the parishioners the congratulatory words of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, written for that day. At the end of the liturgy, a congratulatory word is read from the ruling bishop of the diocese.
After the end of the Easter Liturgy, the people do not disperse, since the consecration of Easter food (eggs, cakes, pasta) is performed. Certain prayers are read by the priest for permission to eat meat, because Orthodox Christians were forbidden to eat products of animal origin until Easter day, since the charter of the Orthodox Church prescribes a certain abstinence during Great Lent.
After the consecration of the Easter food, the people go home. Usually, the entire Easter service ends at three o'clock in the morning, but the exact time of the end of the service cannot be called. In every Orthodox church, the Easter service is performed at a different speed. It should only be noted that the characteristic features of the Easter service is solemn singing, which is carried under the arches of the temple throughout the entire divine service.
