- Title: RUSSIA: ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS OBSERVE GOOD FRIDAY
- Date: 17th April 1998
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (APRIL 17, 1998) (RTV) 1. LAS ZOOM OUT HIGH-RELIEF SCULPTURE OF JESUS CHRIST ON UPPER WALL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR CATHEDRAL WITH GOLDEN DOMES ABOVE 0.11 2. MV PATRIARCH OF ALL RUSSIA, ALEXEY II, ARRIVES, GREETED WITH FLOWERS, KISSES 0.19 3. SCU WOMAN LIGHTING CANDLES INSIDE CATHEDRAL 0.24 4. SLV PATRIARCH LEADING GOOD FRIDAY
- Embargoed: 2nd May 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City:
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVAEPK7J7JG10EF99LBD2T1FFSK4
- Story Text: Russia's Orthodox Christians have observed Good Friday on April 17, the Christian holiday that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Moscow's Russian orthodox came to Christ the Saviour cathedral on Friday (April 17) to celebrate their Good Friday.
The holy service was led by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexey II, who commemorated the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
Russian Orthodoxy is the dominant religion in Russia and as many as 90 percent of Russians adhere to it, despite successive Soviet regimes attempting to suppress it.
Worshippers lit candles and prayed as priests carried a symbolic tomb of Christ through the cathedral.
Good Friday marks the height of the period of Lent fasting and prayer.During this time, worshipers perform the religious ritual of mourning and spiritual strengthening ahead of the full blown Easter celebrations.
But not all of Easter's celebrations are dour and religious.Both young and old people also indulge in traditional rituals like colouring eggs and preparing special cakes.
Eggs are dyed with onion peel to represent spiritual and natural rebirth according to Slavic custom.
Modern bread factories, built in the Soviet era, work overtime in the final week before Easter to prepare traditional Easter cakes known as "kulich." The use of the breads as a part of Easter and spring celebrations has spread rapidly in the past year, and factories have invited Orthodox priests to bless the dough and supervise its preparation.
Orthodox goodwill organizations have used the bread as a way of greeting impoverished pensioners and as a decorative element to soup kitchens that they run in Moscow.
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