Metropolitan Veniamin: Easter is a celebration on a universal scale

"The Easter holiday is filled with special joy. And this joy comes from understanding what God has done for the entire human race, for each individual. Church hymns say that Easter is a transition from death to life, from earth to heaven. When people worry about it, reflect on it, their joy increases, multiplies, and is passed on to other people," said the Metropolitan. - The fullness of Christ's Resurrection cannot be described in human words. This is a celebration of universal proportions. It reveals the secret of God's care for the human race. There is great love behind this event."

He noted that the events related to the Resurrection of Christ recall how the disciples behaved differently. 

"Sometimes they could not believe in the mystery of the Resurrection. The myrrh-bearing wives were the first to receive this good news and became apostles to the apostles. How can the human heart accommodate this? After the greatest evil that has happened on earth, the murder of the Son of God, who came to save the human race, comes the greatest triumph - the Resurrection of our Lord and the bestowal of great benefits to all mankind, to each of us. What could be higher than that?" said the primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

According to him, to believe, feel, and experience the Resurrection of the Lord is granted not only on Easter, but it is on this day that the celebration is most deeply perceived by the soul of each person and society as a whole. And even by people who are far from believing.

Undoubtedly, the joy of Easter day is large-scale. But quiet, gentle joy is also important - in the heart of every person, Vladyka noted.

The Metropolitan expressed confidence that it is important for everyone to experience and be filled with Easter joy. Traditionally, believers go to churches on the day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. The day before, food is lit, then they participate in the all-night vigil. On Easter, they visit their loved ones and relatives, share their joy with them, try to support, comfort, and do a good deed. It is customary to do this not only on Easter day, but throughout the Easter period.

How do Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter and Holy Week

Due to its significance, volume and inability to accommodate the Easter holiday in one day, the Church celebrates for 40 days. Moreover, the first week, Bright Week, is very eventful, the primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church noted. Every day, worship takes place according to one rite. Almost the entire service is sung, and only some biblical texts are read. This creates a special Paschal joy and encourages those present in the temple to return to the experience of the feast of the Lord's Passover over and over again.

"Our ancestors, especially in the first three days after Easter, tried not to work. The time was spent in reverent celebration of the great celebration. Nowadays, of course, people go to work. But it is important to maintain an inner mood and return as often as possible to the Paschal greeting and the experience of the Easter troparion, which carries the content of joy, inspiration, and support for each person," said the Metropolitan.

In the second week after Easter, it is established to visit cemeteries and graves of close relatives. People gather on Radunitsa to share the joy of the Resurrection of the Lord with their deceased relatives in the realization that Christ rose from the dead "and gave life to those who are in the grave," the metropolitan pointed out. He emphasized: The Lord has granted the possibility of eternal life to each of the deceased.

"With faith in this life-affirming teaching of the Church, we come to the cemetery and pray. We believe that our prayer, combined with Easter joy and reflections on the Lord's Easter, is also transmitted to the deceased relatives. This is a sign of our love and memory for them. And at the same time, thanks for all the good things that happened in communication with them during their lifetime," said Vladyka.

The following days are less full of Easter memories, although the person who comes to the temple hears Easter texts and mentions. Every Saturday evening and Sunday bring believers' attention back to the experience of the Resurrection of Christ. The thought of the risen Christ takes root in the human soul and helps to go through life calmly and confidently throughout the year, realizing that the greatest evil has been overcome by Christ.

The Primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church congratulated all believers on the feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. "To all of you, dear brothers and sisters, I wish that Easter joy fills your hearts, nourishes, and inspires you to do all that is good and useful. And may the source of this joy be the realization that the Lord is with us. The Lord has overcome the greatest evil. He is the conqueror of death, the conqueror of hell, the conqueror of sin. He helps people. We need to combine all our efforts, call upon God in this, and we will be able to overcome many of the difficulties of today, which sometimes seem insurmountable. Everything is possible for God," said the metropolitan.

His Eminence wished the faithful to keep the joy of the bright feast of the Lord's Passover in their hearts, share it with others and greet each other as often as possible with the words "Christ is risen!"