Moldovan Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter
Orthodox Christians across Moldova celebrate Easter today. It is the biggest feast and holiday of the year. The believers mark the Resurrection of Jesus. Hundreds of thousands of Moldovans spent the night at church where a special solemn liturgical service was led by the priests.
The Holy Fire was brought this year from Jerusalem around 7:45 PM (local time) by a group of priests and was spread out later on to all the Christians around the country.
On this day the Christians have specific customs.
After midnight the people say “Christ is risen!” and the reply is “He is risen, indeed!” This greeting is said for the next 40 days. Early in the morning the Christians bring some special-cooked food for Easter – red eggs, “Pasca” – a specific cake, and baked meat or other kinds of food. The goods are brought to church to be blessed and hallowed by the priest.
Easter is forgone by a period of 40 days of fasting, which is called the Great Lent. The people abstain from eggs, meat, dairy products, and spend all this time in prayers. The fasting period ends today.
During Easter Holidays most of the people have a couple of days off.
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