Today Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter

Today, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter.

Easter is one of the oldest Christian holidays.

The essence of the holiday is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who conquered death. By doing so, Jesus Christ destroyed the curse of death and sin over all of humanity, and having come into the world as the Son of God, He shared in human nature, all its sufferings, and even death.

By tradition, on Thursday morning believers bake Easter cakes (kulich), in the evening they prepare paskha, on Saturday they carry them to church, and on the night from Saturday to Sunday they perform a Procession of the Cross, heralding the beginning of Easter and the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. On the Holy Day of the Resurrection of Jesus, everyone gathers at the Easter table, treats one another with paskha and kulich, taps Easter eggs against each other, and greets one another with the words "Christ is Risen!".

In its position in the calendar and symbolism, Easter is based on one of the ancient Jewish holidays — Pesach. In most languages, the words "Easter" and "Pesach" have similar meanings or are homonyms. Although different parts of the world have various Easter customs, common motifs include church services, Easter greetings, a procession around the church, and painted Easter eggs symbolizing the empty tomb of Jesus.