The entire world of Orthodox Christianity is celebrating the Bright resurrection of Christ - Easter. In Kyzyl, traditionally, the believers first attend all-night services at the Holy Trinity church. Easter, the day of the miraculous resurrection of Christ, is the culmination of the seven days of mourning - a week of remembrance of Christ's Way of the Cross. Every day of the Passion week has its own symbolic significance, and it is observed differently. There are church services every day.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Christ's last talks with apostles and with the people are remembered, Thursday - the secret evening Last Supper with the apostles, with the sacrament. Friday is the day of crucifixion of Christ. A special service is performed on this day: the shroud, and an icon with the image of Christ as he was taken off the cross. The believers pray, and try to touch the sacred image. It is generally considered that the services of the Passion week are the best services of the church year. Clergymen say that if one participates in these services with intention, with all the possible sincerity, one can be transported to the time when these events actually transpired, and to experience personally the spiritual suffering that Christ experienced, and to develop a new understanding of the Scriptures and of oneself as a Christian.
Yesterday, a Kyzyl native Tatiana Yegorovna came to the services. She is one of those who come to the church often; on Sundays, holidays and also anytime that she has the chance: - You come to the church, and your soul lightens up, she smiles. - If things are not all right at home, or your health is not good, you go to the church, and ask God for help. And you feel better, easier, and you stop making the mistakes for which you have been asking forgiveness. It seems very important to me to teach faith to children at an early age, so that they would learn to go to church. It protects one from evil, thoughtless actions. You feel as if your own guardian angel appeared, and he is always with you.
This Tatiana Yegorovna, as she admits, did not turn to God until she was a mother of grown daughters. The girls became enthusiastic about the word of God, started going to church, and their mother followed. Both daughters also attended yesterday's services. They brought their little kids. They always expect Easter with a feeling of awe, as daughter Natalia admits: Easter - that is always associated with some sort of hope…the feeling always grow stronger after the Great Fast, the week of mourning…then the joy - The Lord has risen…that is the most important holiday of the year - just like Sunday in a week, that is Easter in the year. For me it it is a time of hopes, that there will be some change for the better… we are getting ready for Easter…cleaning the house, painting eggs, baking "kulich". By the way, the date of Easter is different every year. It is calculated according to the paschalia, special charts of the Orthodox church. This year it falls on 24 April. Next year the resurrection of Christ will be celebrated on 15 April, and in 2013 - not until 5 May.