Easter service end time. How long does it take and when does the Easter service start?

Easter is the most important holiday for the Christian church, and preparations for it begin several weeks in advance. After the end of Lent, all Orthodox people prepare for the Easter service - a large-scale church celebration that lasts all night. About what time the Easter service begins and how it goes, is described below.

Rituals before Easter

In many churches, festive services begin a week before Easter itself. Usually during this period people attend church very actively, the clergy are increasingly appearing in festive attire. There is also a tradition according to which, a few days before Easter, the doors of the church stop closing. Even during the communion of the priests, the doors remain open, and everyone can visit the temple at any convenient time.

Saturday becomes especially festive when it ends great post. It is on this day that people begin to go to church en masse to consecrate the festive food. Temple servants sprinkle Easter cakes and eggs with holy water, saying traditional prayers. At the same time, you can put a few candles in the church for the repose.

IN catholic church the tradition of baptizing adults and children at Easter has been preserved. IN Orthodox tradition the custom of baptizing adults during the celebration of Easter is also being revived, but it happens quite rarely. The ministers of the church prefer to conduct this ceremony either on Saturday or in the afternoon before the start of the solemn service.

Usually, the representatives of the church themselves are very actively preparing for the upcoming holiday, memorizing lines from the gospel, taking communion and choosing the most festive clothes. Despite all the changes in the lives of modern citizens, Easter continues to enjoy tremendous popularity throughout Russia.

Easter service start time

In 2017, Easter falls on May 1st. According to a tradition that has developed several centuries ago, the Easter service is held exactly at midnight. It will begin on the night of April 30 to May 1.

The largest service takes place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Traditionally, the patriarch (now Kirill) comes out to the parishioners in his best attire, conducting the entire service from beginning to end. It is broadcast on many TV channels, so you can enjoy the service without leaving your home.

In some nations, such services take place in the morning, but almost all christian churches conduct such an important and solemn service before dawn.

What stages does the Easter service include:

1. The removal of the shroud, which takes place half an hour before midnight.
2. Procession around the temple.
3. The beginning of Bright Matins is marked by the use of a censer and a special cross with a three-candlestick.
4. Conducting Easter matins and taking out specially prepared bread.
5. The service ends with an Easter bell and an exchange of holiday greetings ("Christ is Risen" - "Truly Risen").

Each step of the procedure is very important and is never ignored. The fact is that all singing and processions are directly related to the history of the resurrection of Christ, and the traditions themselves have been formed over the centuries, so the clergy honor them with special reverence.

Holding Easter service takes place in almost all Orthodox churches. It is interesting that the date of the holiday is always determined according to the lunisolar calendar and falls on different days. Moreover, the date of Easter for Catholics and Orthodox may differ. So, in 2017, this bright day fell on May 1st.

The Easter service traditionally starts at midnight, but it is worth coming to church at least an hour in advance. The fact is that the holiday causes great excitement among believers, and therefore, by 23:00, queues of those wishing to attend the service are gathering near the temples. There are not many parishioners in small churches, but getting to services in the main shrines of the country (for example, in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood) can be extremely difficult. Despite this, all believers try to behave calmly, do not push each other.

It is worth consecrating Easter cakes, dyed eggs and other festive food in advance, on Saturday morning, since there will be too many people at the Easter service, and this opportunity will most likely not be presented.

The first stages of the Easter service

Church services on Easter are a very important event for the clergy, so every priest is dressed in solemn robes on this day. Half an hour before midnight, a shroud is brought into the church through the royal doors, and the service is considered officially open. People present at the service light candles, which creates a truly magical atmosphere in the temple.

The initial stages of church worship have the following features:

• during the whole service, the ringing of bells announcing the beginning of the holiday sounds;
• the singing of the stichera occurs three times, and with each time the clergy raise their voice by a tone;
• during the singing of the third stichera, the clergy move from the altar to the middle of the temple;
• parishioners also sing along with the ministers of the church, after which the ringing begins, and people go out into the street to make a procession around the temple.

With the beginning of the procession, all parishioners move around the church to the sonorous singing of the clergy. Usually the church goes around three times, after which they stop at the western gate, consecrating them with a cross. At this stage, the singing subsides, after which the clergyman begins to consecrate the parishioners and the church itself with a censer, marking the image of the cross on the western gate of the temple.

Easter Matins

The beginning of the Paschal service is more like a sacrament and has a certain mystery, while Matins consists of joyful hymns and the reading of the canon. With the beginning of matins, all parishioners return to the church, the doors remain open.

• singing of the canon and stichera;
• solemn reading of the gospel;
• reading the ambo prayer.

The service on Easter night does not end with the reading of the ambo prayer, because after that, sacred bread, which in Greek is called artos, is brought to a special altar in front of the icon depicting the risen Christ. It is prepared according to a special recipe and consecrated by the ministers of the church. Artos remains on the altar for several days.

Actually, this is where the Paschal Liturgy ends, and a festive bell ringing. Now believers have the opportunity to approach the cross, pray and congratulate each other on Easter.

Duration of the celebration and proper preparation for it

How long the Easter service lasts is very often of interest to people who have never been to this festive service. The standard duration of such a service is 5 hours.

The long duration is due to the importance of the festive event and the abundance of various traditions. As mentioned above, the service begins at 00:00, but usually all believers try to arrive at the church by 23:00, taking their places in the temple and praying before the sacred service.

The order of the Easter service is quite strict, so when heading to church, you should choose comfortable and closed clothes. Women should cover their heads with a scarf, hiding their hair.

This festive event ends at about four o'clock in the morning, after which the believers can disperse to their homes. In the Orthodox Church, it is very important to defend the entire service from beginning to end, because in this way a person confirms his faith.

It is also interesting that before the start of the service, each believer must properly prepare for the approaching celebration. Usually such preparation begins 7 weeks before the holiday, because it is then that Great Lent begins. During all this time, the believer limits himself in the use of food.

On Clean Thursday (it falls on the last week of Lent), a person needs to do a general cleaning in his house. Lent ends on Saturday, just before Easter. On this day, it is necessary to prepare festive treats, such as Easter cakes and eggs. All these dishes should be put in a basket and taken to the church in order to consecrate them.

Before entering the church, you must cross yourself three times. The inscription of the cross is made every time some church phrases are used (for example, "In the name of the father and son, and the Holy Spirit").

A few more important moments of church worship

Everyone who has been to it at least once in their life knows the course of the Easter service. It is important not only to fully defend the service, but also to behave correctly in the process. What rules of conduct in the temple should be remembered:

With the end of the holiday prayers, Easter does not end. Before leaving the church, a person needs to cross himself three times in a bow, going home.

Every believer Orthodox Christian, who plans to visit the temple on the eve of Easter, and especially the night service, has a very good and true message. If you do not know what time the Easter service begins and how it goes, then useful information in an accessible form, look in our material.

During the long Lent, forty days plus more Holy Week, people prepared themselves spiritually, weakening their bodies, for the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. Great Saturday has already come - this is the last day of fasting, but very important and special. It is important to know what time the Easter service begins and ends today in order to become part of the annual Resurrection and bring joy, good news home about the coming of the holiday already from the church on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

During the year, the Easter service is a very important event, in 2019 it will be held on April 27.

Read interesting articles on the topic:

If you are going to a service in the temple, then focus somewhere around midnight from Saturday to Sunday. At this time, the festive midnight service begins. The service begins with the priest and the deacon going to the shroud, which was placed in the center of the church on Good Friday, and it will lie there until the Resurrection of Christ.

The Shroud is a symbol of the shroud with which the body of Christ was wrapped when he was taken down from the cross on Friday. It depicts the Savior crucified on the cross in full growth. It, as it were, symbolizes the time the Lord was in the cave, where he was buried and the shroud is located in the center of the temple until the moment when Christ is Risen, that is, already three hours after the start of the Paschal service, it will be taken back to the altar for a whole year.

Quiet hymns about the resurrection of Christ begin to be sung around midnight. Please note that at this time the Royal Doors of the altar will still be closed inside the temple and the priests will leave the side gates. Then the stichera is sung and the royal doors are opened, the voice of the priest and the choir becomes louder and more confident.

Procession for Easter

The Easter service continues with a procession around the church of priests and the entire flock. This action is called a religious procession and is carried out under the ringing of bells. At the beginning of the procession they carry a lantern, then an altar cross and an icon Mother of God, then come the deacons, who hold candles and a censer in their hands. The procession is completed by the priest, who carries the Gospel in his hands, and the second next to him - the icon of the Resurrection.

The procession goes around the temple three times, the flock follows the priests with all the necessary paraphernalia. Everyone stops each time in front of the closed gate on the western side of the entrance to the temple. Last time the ringing of the bells subsides and in this silence every believer can hear the most important words that she has been waiting for so long: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampled down death by death and bestowed life (that is, life) in the graves”.

How long is the service

So, the Easter night service begins around midnight and lasts an average of several hours, ending around three in the morning. Decide whether to take the children to the temple on your own, after all, there will be a lot of people there and to defend such a time, it is quite difficult to make a religious procession.

With this, the festive service ended and the Divine Liturgy immediately begins. Many no longer stay on it - they are in a hurry to go home to tell their families and relatives the joyful news that Christ is Risen, that fasting and sorrow are over, and finally the long-awaited holiday has come, which will last not only on Sunday, but throughout the entire festive week (it is popularly called Fomin's week).

About behavior in the church at the Easter service and not only:

• At the entrance to the church at any time, you need to cross yourself three times and bow near the doors. Orthodox are baptized with three fingers of the right hand.
• Remove gloves, for men it is obligatory to remove a headdress, and for a woman - to put on a headscarf.
• In a personal appeal to a priest, you need to start with the words "Father, bless." At the same time, the person should fold the palms crosswise and kiss the hand of the clergyman, with which he blessed. Next, you can ask your own questions.
• On Easter night, the temple is a place where a special and very important sacrament is performed. Due to the large number of people, this can be difficult, but still try not to stand with your back to the altar.
• If you decide to take children with you to the temple, you need to explain to them in advance how to behave there: do not make noise, do not run and do not be capricious, it is not allowed to talk loudly in the temple.
  Of course, you will need to turn off the phone, it is best to at least put it on silent mode.

The Easter service begins at midnight of the transition of the day from Holy Saturday, that is, on April 27, 2019, on the day of the Resurrection of Christ. The service starts at 00.00 and lasts about three hours. After the procession, the morning Divine Liturgy begins.

The Easter service begins late Saturday evening. At about 11 pm, the Saturday midnight service begins, at which 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 to the altar, and the Midnight Office itself soon ends. The canon is called the Lament of the Mother of God. It describes the experiences of the Mother of God, who saw the crucifixion of her Son.

The Easter service itself begins at 12 midnight with the onset of Sunday. The service of Paschal Matins is celebrated, beginning with a walk around the temple. The choir sings a stichera about the resurrection of Christ, announcing to people that this event is sung by angels in heaven. Before entering the temple after the procession, the priest gives an exclamation, after which the singing of the Paschal troparion Christ is Risen begins. With this singing, the clergy and the choir proceed to the temple, where the Paschal Matins continues, consisting of the singing of a certain Paschal canon of John of Damascus, the Easter lamp, and the Easter stichera. At the end of Matins, on the lectern, the priest reads a congratulatory word for the day of Holy Pascha, written by St. John Chrysostom. The idea is being held that on the day of Holy Pascha, each person should enjoy the triumph Orthodox faith.

After Paschal Matins, the choir sings several Paschal Hours (a divine service consisting of the singing of some Paschal prayers glorifying the resurrection of Christ).

At the end of the hours, the festive liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is performed. The peculiarity of this divine service can be called the reading of the gospel in various languages. Depending on the philological skills of the priest or bishop, the gospel can be read in ancient Greek, Spanish, French, German and other languages.

Also, at the end of the reading of the gospel, the clergyman proclaims to the parishioners the congratulatory words of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', written for that day. At the end of the liturgy, a congratulatory speech is already read from the ruling bishop of the diocese.

After the end of the Paschal liturgy, the people do not disperse, as the consecration of the Easter food (eggs, Easter cakes, Easter cakes) is performed. Certain prayers are read by the priest for permission to eat meat, because Christians were forbidden to eat animal products until Easter day, since the charter of the Orthodox Church prescribes a certain abstinence to the Great.

After the consecration of the Easter food, the people go home. Usually the entire Easter service ends by three in the morning, however exact time the end of the service cannot be named. In every Orthodox church the Easter service is celebrated at different speeds. It only needs to be noted that characteristic features The Paschal Liturgy is a solemn singing that resounds under the vaults of the temple throughout the entire Divine Liturgy.

The service in the church on Easter is especially solemn, as it marks the main event of the year for Christians. On the saving night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, it is customary to stay awake. From the evening on Great Saturday, the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read in the church, containing evidence in the Resurrection of Christ, after which the Paschal Midnight Office follows with the canon of Great Saturday.

THE BEGINNING OF THE FESTIVE SERVICE

Let's start with the question, what time does the service in the church begin on Easter. So, if you plan to stay awake on Easter night, you should know that the beginning of the service in the church on Easter starts shortly before midnight, when the Midnight Office is served in all churches.

At this time, the priest and the deacon go to the Shroud, around it they perform censing. At the same time they sing “I will rise and be glorified”, after which they raise the Shroud and take it to the altar.

How is the service in the Church on Easter? There are a number of important points. The Shroud is placed on the Holy Throne, where it must remain until the Giving of Pascha. At these moments, all the clergy in full vestments line up in order at the Throne. Candles are lit in the temple.

Exactly at midnight with the Royal Doors closed (double doors opposite the Throne in the altar, the main gate of the iconostasis in the Orthodox Church) the priests quietly sing the stichera (text dedicated to the verses of the psalm) about the resurrection of the Savior of the world.

“Your Resurrection, Christ the Savior, Angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth with a pure heart Praise you."

The veil is opened and again the same stichera is sung louder. The Royal Doors open. The hymn about the resurrection of the Savior is sung in full voice.

PROCESSION

Another important part of the Easter night is the procession of the Church towards the risen Savior. The procession is carried out around the building of the temple, accompanied by an incessant chime.

At the very beginning of the procession, a lantern is carried, behind it is the altar cross, the altarpiece of the Mother of God. Behind them, arranged in two rows, are the banner-bearers, singers, priests with candles in their hands, deacons with their candles and censers, and behind them the priests.

The last pair of priests (the one on the right) carries the Gospel, in the hands of the priest next to the left is the icon of the Resurrection. The procession closes - the primate of the temple with the trisveshnik and the Cross in his left hand.

The procession stops in front of the closed gates of the western entrance to the temple. At this point, the ringing stops. The rector of the temple, having accepted the censer from the deacon, performs incense. At the same time, the clergy sing three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs.”

Then they sing a series of verses, for each they sing the troparion "Christ is risen." After that, all the clergy sing: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death," ending with the words: "And to those in the tombs, bestowing life." The doors to the temple are opened and the participants of the procession go inside the temple.

How long is the service in the church on Easter? Festive night worship lasts until 2-3 am. Consider this moment if you plan to come to the temple with children. After the Procession, Matins begins, which continues with the Divine Liturgy.

At this time, believers partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. If you plan to partake of communion, you should go to confession in advance and receive a blessing. This is necessary because before communion one must be clean both in body and in spirit.

END OF MATINS

At the end of Matins, you will see how the clergy begin to christen among themselves in the altar while singing the stichera. After that, they christen with each of the worshipers, if the temple is small and the number of believers allows this.

Usually in large churches, where many believers come to the Easter service, the priest pronounces a short greeting from himself and ends it with a triple “Christ is Risen!”, while overshadowing the Cross on three sides, after which he returns to the altar. In the short phrase "Christ is Risen!" is the whole essence of faith.

EASTER HOURS AND LITURGY

In many churches, the end of Matins is followed by the Paschal Hours and the Liturgy. Easter clock are read not only in the temple. The whole Easter week they are usually read instead of morning and evening prayers. During the singing of the Hours before the Liturgy, the deacon performs the usual incense of the altar and the entire church.

If several priests conduct divine service in the church, then the Gospel is read in different languages: in Slavic, Russian, Greek, Latin, and in the languages ​​of the peoples most famous in the area. During the reading of the Gospel, “bust” is heard from the bell tower, when all the bells are struck once, starting from small ones.

HOW TO BEHAVE IN THE TEMPLE

Entering the church, it is necessary to cross yourself three times with waist bows: with three fingers only right hand. Be sure to remove your gloves when doing this. Men must take off their hats.

If you want to turn to a priest, you first need to say: “Batiushka, bless!”. After that, you can ask a question. When accepting the blessing, fold your palms crosswise - palms up right to left and kiss the right, blessing you, hand of the clergyman.

The temple, especially on Easter night, is a special place that a spiritual sacrament takes place. Therefore, you should behave accordingly. Remember that while the church service is going on, it is not recommended to turn your back to the altar.

If you come with a child, explain to him in advance that you need to be quiet here, you can’t talk loudly, laugh. Do not use a cell phone in the temple, and do not allow your child to do so. Switch the device to silent mode. While the Easter service is going on, you should be focused solely on this.

While you are standing among other believers during the service, and the priest, while reading, overshadows you with the cross, the Gospel and the image, at this moment you need to bow slightly. It is customary to overshadow yourself with the banner of the Cross at the moment when you hear the words: “Lord, have mercy”, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

Leaving the temple, cross yourself three times, make three waist bows when leaving the temple and when leaving the church gate, turning to face the temple.

How does the Easter service and procession take place on Easter?

Easter services are especially solemn. Christ is risen: eternal joy,– sings the Church in the canon of Pascha.
Since ancient, apostolic times, Christians have been awake on the sacred and pre-holiday saving night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the luminous night of the luminous day, waiting for the time of his spiritual liberation from the work of the enemy(Church Charter in the week of Easter).
Shortly before midnight, the midnight office is served in all churches, at which the priest and the deacon proceed to Shroud and, after burning incense around her, while singing the words of katavasia of the 9th song “I will rise and be glorified” they lift the Shroud and take it to the altar. The Shroud is placed on the Holy See, where it must remain until the Giving of Pascha.

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Easter morning, “joy at the resurrection of our Lord from the dead” start at 12 noon. As midnight approaches, all the clergy in full vestments stand in order at the Throne. The clergy and worshipers in the temple light candles. On Pascha just before midnight, a solemn Annunciation announces the coming of the great minute of the Light-bearing Feast of the Resurrection of Christ. Quiet singing begins in the altar, gaining strength: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth to glorify Thee with a pure heart.” At this time, a jubilant Easter chime is pouring from the height of the bell tower.
The procession on Easter night is the procession of the Church towards the resurrected Savior. The procession takes place around the temple with a continuous ringing. In a bright, jubilant, majestic form, while singing “Your Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify you with a pure heart”, The Church, like a spiritual bride, goes, as they say in sacred hymns, “with merry feet to meet the outgoing Christ from the tomb, like a bridegroom”.
Ahead of the procession they carry a lantern, followed by an altar cross, an altarpiece of the Mother of God, then they go in two rows, in pairs, banner-bearers, singers, priest-bearers with candles, deacons with their candles and censers, and behind them priests. In the last pair of priests, the one on the right carries the Gospel, and the one on the left carries the icon of the Resurrection. The procession ends with the primate of the temple with the trisveshnik and the Cross in his left hand.
If there is only one priest in the temple, then the laity carry the icons of the Resurrection of Christ and the Gospel on the shrouds.
Having bypassed the temple, the procession stops in front of the closed doors, as before the entrance to the cave of the Holy Sepulcher. The bearers of the shrines stop near the doors facing west. The ringing stops. The rector of the temple and the clergy sing the joyful Easter troparion three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs” ( Easter songs in mp3).
This song is picked up and sung three times by the other priests and the choir. Then the priest recites the verses of the ancient prophecy of St. King David: “Let God arise and scatter His enemies ...”, and the choir and the people in response to each verse sing: “Christ is risen from the dead ...”
Then the priests sing verses:
“Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered. And let those who hate Him flee from His Face.”
“Like smoke disappears, let them disappear, like wax melts from the face of fire.”
“Thus let the sinners perish from the presence of God, but let the righteous rejoice.”
“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”.

For every verse the singers sing a troparion "Christ is Risen".
Then the primate or all the clergy sing “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death”. The singers are graduating “And to those in the tombs, bestowing life”.
Church doors are opened, and the procession with this joyful news goes to the temple, just as the myrrh-bearing women went to Jerusalem to announce to the disciples about the Resurrection of the Lord.
To the singing: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs” - the doors open, the worshipers enter the temple, and the singing of the Paschal canon begins.

Easter Matins is followed by the Divine Liturgy and the consecration of the arthos, a special bread depicting the Cross or the Resurrection of Christ (it is kept in the church until the following Saturday, when it is distributed to the faithful).

During the service, the priest again and again joyfully greets all those who pray with the words “Christ is Risen!” and every time the worshipers answer: "Truly Risen!". At short intervals, the clergy change their vestments and walk around the temple in red, yellow, blue, green and white robes.

At the end of the service read categorical word of St. John Chrysostom. On Easter evening, a wonderfully beautiful and joyful Easter Vespers is served.

Easter is celebrated for seven days, that is, the whole week, and therefore this week is called Bright Easter Week. Each day of the week is also called bright - Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday. The Royal Doors are open all week. There is no fasting on Bright Wednesdays and Fridays.

The entire period before the Ascension (40 days after Easter), the Orthodox greet each other with the greeting "Christ is Risen!" and the answer "Truly Risen!".

The Easter holiday was established in the times Old Testament in memory of redemption Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. The ancient Jews celebrated Easter on Nisan 14-21 - the beginning of our March.

In Christianity, Easter is the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the feast of the victory of life over death and sin. Orthodox Easter It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the vernal full moon, which occurs on or after the vernal equinox, but not before the vernal equinox.

Until the end of the 16th century, Europe lived according to the Julian calendar, and in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new style - Gregorian, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendar is 13 days. Orthodox Church does not switch to the Gregorian calendar, since the celebration of Easter according to this calendar may coincide with the Jewish Easter, which contradicts the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church. In some countries, such as Greece, where the Orthodox Church switched to the Gregorian calendar, Easter is still celebrated according to the Julian calendar.

What is the Easter canon?

Easter Canon, St. John of Damascus, which is an essential part of Paschal Matins, is the crown of all spiritual songs.
The Paschal canon is an outstanding work of ecclesiastical literature, not only in terms of the splendor of its external form, but also in terms of its inner merits, in the strength and depth of the thoughts contained in it, in the sublimity and richness of its content. This deeply meaningful canon introduces us to the spirit and meaning of the very feast of the Resurrection of Christ, makes us fully experience the soul and understand this event.
On each song of the canon, censing is performed, the clergy with a cross and a censer, in the forefront of the lamps, go around the whole church, filling it with incense, and joyfully greet everyone with the words “Christ is Risen!”, To which the faithful answer “Truly Risen!”. These numerous exits of the priests from the altar are reminiscent of the frequent appearances of the Lord to His disciples after the Resurrection.

About Easter Hours and Liturgy

In many churches, the end of Matins is immediately followed by the Hours and the Liturgy. Easter hours are read not only in the church - they are usually read throughout the entire Easter week instead of morning and evening prayers.
During the singing of the Hours before the Liturgy, the deacon with the deacon's candle performs the usual censing of the altar and the entire church.
If the service is performed conciliarly in a church, that is, by several priests, then the Gospel is read in different languages: in Slavic, Russian, as well as in the ancient ones, to which the apostolic preaching spread - in Greek, Latin, and in the languages ​​​​of the peoples most famous in the area.
During the reading of the Gospel, the so-called “brute force” is performed on the bell tower, that is, all the bells are struck once, starting from small ones.
The custom of giving each other colored eggs for Easter dates back to the 1st century AD. Church tradition says that in those days it was customary, when visiting the emperor, to bring him a gift. And when the poor disciple of Christ, Saint Mary Magdalene came to Rome to the emperor Tiberius with a sermon of faith, she presented Tiberius with a simple chicken egg.

Tiberius did not believe Mary's story about the Resurrection of Christ and exclaimed: “How can someone rise from the dead? It is as impossible as if this egg suddenly turned red.” Immediately before the eyes of the emperor, a miracle happened - the egg turned red, testifying to the truth of the Christian faith.

Easter clock

thrice)
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the Only Sinless One. We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Thy holy Resurrection. Thou art our God, do we not know Thee otherwise, we call Thy name. Come all faithful, let us worship the saint Christ's Resurrection: Behold, the joy of the whole world has come by the Cross. Always blessing the Lord, let us sing of His Resurrection: having endured the crucifixion, destroy death by death. ( thrice)

Having anticipated the morning even about Mary, and the found stone was rolled away from the tomb, I hear from an angel: in the light of the ever-present Existing, with the dead, what are you looking for like a man? See the linen of the tomb, and preach to the world, as the Lord has arisen, killing death, as the Son of God, who saves the human race.

Even if you descended into the grave, Immortal, but you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as a conqueror, Christ God, prophesying to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice, and grant peace to your apostle, give resurrection to the fallen.

In the tomb of the flesh, in hell with the soul like God, in paradise with the thief, and on the throne you were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, fulfilling everything, indescribable.

Glory: As the Life-bearer, as the most beautiful of paradise, truly the brightest of the halls of every royal seemed, Christ, Thy tomb, the source of our Resurrection.

And now: Highly illuminated Divine village, rejoice: You have given joy, O Theotokos, to those who call: blessed are you in women, O All-blameless Lady.

Lord have mercy. ( 40 times)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

The most honest cherubim and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, without the corruption of God's word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify You.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs. ( thrice)

About the seven-day celebration of Easter

From its very beginning, the Easter holiday was a bright, universal, long-lasting Christian celebration.
Since apostolic times, the feast of Christian Easter has lasted seven days, or eight, if we count all the days of the continuous celebration of Easter until Fomin Monday.
Slavya Holy and mysterious Pascha, Pascha of Christ the Redeemer, Pascha opening the doors of paradise to us, The Orthodox Church, during the entire bright seven-day celebration, has the Royal Doors open. The royal doors are not closed during the entire Bright Week even during the communion of the clergy.
Starting from the first day of Pascha and until Vespers of the feast of the Holy Trinity, kneeling and prostrations are not allowed.
In liturgical terms, the entire Bright Week is, as it were, one festive day: on all days of this week, the Divine Service is the same as on the first day, with a few changes and changes.
Before the beginning of the Liturgy during the days of the Paschal week and before the Giving of Pascha, the clergy read instead of “O Heavenly King” - “Christ is Risen” ( thrice).
Ending the bright celebration of Pascha with a week, the Church continues it, although with less solemnity, for another thirty-two days - until the Ascension of the Lord.

Easter. Christians especially honor this holiday - the main Sunday of the year when Jesus resurrected from. Easter is the personification of the victory of Love and Life. Church on this day is joyful and radiant, as well as the mood of all the parishioners who attend it. The main part of the service lasts from half past twelve to four in the morning. Temples on this solemn night, as a rule, are overcrowded. Parishioners wishing to attend worship should leave their homes early so that there is enough space. The temple is decorated with white flowers, the priests are dressed in solemn robes, the rest of the ministers of the church are also smartly dressed. The singing on this night is joyful and light, there are many candles in the church and in their light the icon frames are mysteriously gilded. The service is accompanied by Blagovest - a special bell ringing. It is better to consecrate Easter cakes and other food in advance, on Saturday. During the Easter service, with a large crowd of people, it will be difficult to do this. Half an hour before midnight, a priest and a deacon on their heads bring a canvas with the image of Christ into the shroud into the altar through the Royal Doors. The ministers put her on the throne. Here the shroud is located until the giving of Holy Easter as a sign that Jesus spent forty days on earth before the ascension. With the onset of midnight in the altar, which marks the sky, the clergy begin to sing the stechira. It sounds like this: “Your Resurrection, Christ the Savior, Angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify You with a pure heart.” The chanting of the stechira takes place three times. The second time it is also sung in the altar, a tone higher and with the veil pulled back. This is a sign that the destinies of mankind are revealed earlier in heaven than on earth. The third chant, in even higher voices, begins at the exit of the priests from the altar and lasts until the middle. The choir in the middle of the temple and all the worshipers finish singing. After this, the ringing begins. The procession comes out of the church and goes around the temple with the singing "Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior ...". The move represents the myrrh-bearing women who walked with fragrances "very early to the Sepulcher." The participants of the Hod stop at the western temple, as if at the door of the coffin, where the Myronites received the news of the resurrection. At this moment, the ringing subsides. The rector of the church takes and envelops the icon and all the worshipers with the aroma. Then he takes a cross with a trisveshnik in his free hand and becomes his face on. With a censer, the priest traces the sign of the Cross in front of the closed gates and begins Bright Matins. Following this, the doors of the temple open and the gaze of the worshipers sees the inner chambers, decorated with candles and flowers. Next up is Easter Sunday. It consists of singing the canon. Then the stechirs sing and solemnly read the Gospel. The next step is the prayer behind the ambo, after which, on the lectern, in front of the icon with the Resurrected Christ, bread prepared according to a special recipe is laid. This bread, called in Greek, is consecrated by prayer and sprinkled with holy water. During the entire Bright Week, bread remains in the temple. At the end Easter Liturgy joyful singing is heard, and all the believers, to the sound of bells, approach the Cross of the Lord. Here they exchange festive greetings: "Christ is risen!" - "Truly risen!"