Millions of Orthodox Christians across Eastern and Southern Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere in the world, have celebrated Easter, capping weeklong religious celebrations.
The most important holiday on the Orthodox religious calendar is essentially an outdoor celebration, with equally intense spiritual and pagan parts and religious services followed by feasts, familial and communal.
Customs such as eating spit-roasted lambs, knocking red-colored hard-boiled eggs together as a sort of contest and launching fireworks in celebration as soon as the priest intones “Christ has risen from the dead,” at midnight on Saturday, likely predate Christianity itself. But new customs, or variations of old ones, appear constantly.
In the neighborhood of Neos Kosmos, in Greece’s capital, Athens, younger parishioners have recently taken to throwing Molotov cocktails — the rioters’ weapon of choice — into open spaces. On the Greek island of Chios, two neighborhoods in the village of Vrontados wage a “rocket war” by throwing thousands of flares at each other, to the consternation of the quieter citizens who have seen houses set alight in years past.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine, Russia exchange POWs as Orthodox Christians celebrate a subdued Easter holidayMore than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released as part of a major Easter exchange with Russia.
Read more »
Orthodox Christians await Holy Light in Jerusalem under heavy police restrictionsCrowds arrived at Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre church ahead of the annual Orthodox Church's Holy Fire ceremony. Police barricades around the site held back hundreds of worshippers and pilgrims as only people with a permit were allowed to enter
Read more »
Dozens of POWs freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox EasterA top Ukrainian official says more than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released in a major Easter exchange with Russia. Orthodox Ukrainians are marking the holiday for a second time since Moscow unleashed its brutal full-scale war last February. While celebrations were subdued due to security risks, with a curfew barring the faithful from customary all-night services, Ukrainian authorities and ordinary people shared messages of hope. Some worshippers in central Kyiv nevertheless admitted that the continuing restrictions were “very hard” on morale, while others stressed that they were praying for Ukrainian troops.
Read more »
Dozens of POWs freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox EasterMore than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released as part of a major Easter exchange with Russia, a top official said Sunday, as Orthodox Ukrainians marked the holiday for a second time since Moscow unleashed its brutal full-scale war last February.
Read more »
Dozens of POWs freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox EasterUkrainian churches are usually crowded on Orthodox Easter Sunday. But this year, the wide courtyard was barely half full, and the line of people waiting for the priest to sprinkle holy water on their adorned baskets was moving briskly.
Read more »
Dozens of POWs freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox EasterMore than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released as part of a major Easter exchange with Russia, a top official says.
Read more »