The Easter service in the Orthodox Church is the most solemn, because on this day believers celebrate in honor of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many Orthodox Christians strive to get to church services in order to become partakers of the great celebration.
The time of the beginning of the Orthodox divine service on the day of Easter
At present, the main Easter service begins on Sunday night, when the Church begins to solemnly celebrate the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. This tradition dates back to the early Christians. Already in ancient times (in the first centuries of the spread of the faith), believers were awake on the night of Easter, raising their prayers to the Lord.
Now the service on Easter night begins with the midnight office, at which a special canon is read in front of the holy shroud, which lies in the center of the church. The start time of Midnight Office is usually 23:00 on Holy Saturday. Sometimes this service begins at half past eleven. Traditionally, this service should end before Sunday.
At night, with the onset of Easter Sunday, a festive procession begins (12 o'clock at night), after which a festive matins takes place, which turns into Easter hours and a liturgy. Matins lasts about an hour. Thus, the beginning of the Divine Liturgy on the day of Easter of Christ falls on a time approximately at one o'clock in the morning of Sunday.
Note: the Paschal Liturgy service can start later, for example at 1:30. This is due to the length of Matins and Easter hours, during which festive chants can be sung in chorus for a longer and longer duration.
Festive Vespers is served in the evening on Easter. The beginning of this service may fall between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, depending on the blessing of the parish rector.
The time of the beginning of the service on Bright Week
The days of Bright Week are marked by daily Easter services. In the evenings, services of Vespers, Matins and one Easter hour are sent, and in the morning in the churches services of the Divine Liturgy are performed.
The starting time for evening services in different parishes varies from 16:00 to 18:00 (the most common starting time for these services). Liturgy on Easter week starts at 8:00 or 9:00. Approximately half an hour (twenty minutes) before the start of the main Orthodox divine service, the Easter clock is chanted.
