What a joyous celebration! The main Paschal celebrations began with the baptism of the child of some friends of ours. She was the most well behaved infant I have ever seen baptised. There was a slight whimper at the end and that was it.
Afterwards, the body of Christ (a cloth icon of it) was taken from its place in the centre of the sanctuary and placed on the Altar. Then we marched around the church three times and the priest pounded on the doors demanding that they be opened for the King of Glory! Someone from within the Church yelled out “Who is the King of Glory” to which the priest responded “The Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle!”
Then we all entered the Church which had been transformed from its dark and gloomy atmosphere of the tomb to a Church that was all bright, white, and covered in flowers. The service proceeded from there with the priest throwing flower petals over everyone present and yelling at the top of his voice “Christ is risen!”, to which the congregation would yell back “Indeed He is risen!”
This went on for some time while the choir was singing (very well, I might add) about the joy of the resurrection and the fulfillment of prophecies. After this we became partakers of life eternal (took communion) and then headed down to the hall where the priest blessed the Pascha Baskets (that’s fun to say, by the way, you should try it).
Then we ate of all the foods we had been fasting from (but only to the point of being satisfied) and enjoyed one another’s company. It was a grand event indeed.
Having got home sometime after 4:00 AM, Stella and I headed right to bed and didn’t get up until 1:00 PM. Then, at 4:00 PM, we headed back to the Church for Paschal Vespers and a Ukrainian barbeque. There were all kinds of food there, including a chocolate fountain, and once again we all had a blast. It is truly the most awe inspiring service.
This year I learned all about the Holy Fire in Jerusalem. It is a miracle that occurs every year where holy fire comes out of the tomb in which Christ lay and ignites the candles present. Read this article all about it and make sure to check out some of the video links there too.
One of these years Stella and I will pilgrimage down there ourselves, but for now I am satisfied with the fellowship of my fellow Orthodox Christians here in Victoria.