Easter is one of the main events of the year for the Orthodox Christians and the most important Orthodox holiday. The word “Easter” comes from Greek and means “deliverance”. On this Holy Day we celebrate the deliverance of all mankind from the devil’s bondage through the sacrifice of Christ the Savior and the gift of eternal life and bliss. That is the fundamental sense of the Orthodox religion – God Himself became a man, died for us, and His resurrection redeemed people from the power of death and sin.
The Orthodox Church celebrates Easter for more than two thousand years. The apostles of Christ revealed its sense to others and passed the tradition of celebrating to their disciples. So, from generation to generation, the tradition of the Easter celebrations has reached us and spread throughout the world.
Easter is rich of many customs and traditions. For example, the tradition of the liturgy at the dawn of Easter dates back to ancient spring celebrations in honor of the sunrise. Another tradition of wearing new clothes as a symbol of a new life came from the baptism of the first Christians, who came to the church, dressed in new wide robes of white linen. Usual Easter parade takes its origins in the Middle Age pilgrimage, when people stopped on their way to pray. Easter egg is a symbol of life. The Persians and the Egyptians also colored eggs and ate them during the celebration of the New Year which they had in spring.
The Resurrection is the foundation and crown of our…