The Feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ is the main celebration of the Orthodox Church. The Easter of Christ is the victory of life over death, the triumph of good over evil. During Easter week (Bright Week), special services are held in churches.
The feast of the Easter of Christ has a 39-day afterfeast. The celebrations in honor of the risen Savior end on the 40th day, when the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the time of the Easter celebration is marked by certain Easter "inserts" in all services. However, on Bright Week (the first Easter week), services are especially solemn and "Easter".
Divine services of the Bright Week are held at the opened royal doors (this practice gives a special solemnity to the church service). The open royal doors of the altar symbolize the fact that after the Resurrection of Christ the doors of paradise are open for every person.
The main feature of the Easter week services is the departure of services according to the Easter rite. Thus, Vespers and Matins are served on Easter, and the usual first, third, sixth and ninth hours are replaced by short Easter hours. Unlike the usual clocks read by the psalmist, the Easter clock is performed by the chorus. Under the vaults of the church, hymns are heard glorifying the risen Savior.
The liturgy service on Easter week also has its own characteristics. All of them are associated with amazing Easter celebrations. Thus, the liturgy is preceded by the threefold chanting of the troparion "Christ is Risen" (such a beginning of the divine services, according to the charter, continues until the Ascension of Christ). Then the troparion is repeated several times alternately with special Easter verses. At the liturgy, Easter antiphons and readings from the Holy Scriptures sound, telling about the miracle of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the main and especially solemn features of the Easter Liturgy on Bright Week is the procession of the cross around the church with icons, banners and artos (bread that is consecrated in front of the opened royal gates and is distributed to believers at the end of the Easter week). During the procession, the choir sings the Easter Canon against the background of the solemn Easter bell ringing. The priest reads the Easter Gospel conception.
All the services of the Easter week are especially solemn, because they are called to visit them to cause tenderness and exultation in the heart of a believer in memory of the miraculous event of the Resurrection of Christ.
