Easter celebration in Russia
If you come to Moscow in the beginning of May, you can celebrate Easter for second time this year! The Russian Orthodox Church will celebrate Easter on May, the 5th. The week after Easter is called The Holy Easter week and it will be full of festive events!
Festive events will start even earlier, on Great Saturday, May, the 4th. People will flock into churches with painted colorful eggs and Easter cakes. Priests will sanctify this food by praying and sprinkling it with Holy Water. These eggs and Easter cakes will be first food religious people will eat on Easter night after a long period of fasting during Lent. Usually there is not enough space for all people inside churches and long tables are arranged in church courtyards.
On Easter night the most of people will participate only in one event: they will join a religious procession with icons and banners at midnight. They will walk around a church, holding candles and listening to choir (or singing together with them).
A famous Easter Festival will take place from the 5th to the 16th of May. Throughout these two weeks Moscovites and guests of the city have chance to listen to symphonic and choir music. Bell ringing is also a part of the Easter festival. It will take place in different churches of Moscow according to the itinerary. Masters of bell ringing from all over Russia will compete with each other and play melodies which are traditional for their regions. You can contact us if you want a Moscow tour guide to accompany you and to give a profound explanation of Russian traditions.
Beside the festival, there is a tradition that everyone can try to ring church bells during the Holy Easter week. Do not lose this opportunity and climb a belfry!
