Orthodox and Eastern Rite Christians in Ukraine celebrated Easter on April 7 and 8, one week later than the holiday celebrated by believers in Western churches. On the evening before Easter Sunday, a church delegation brought the Holy Fire, a flame lit at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to the cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv. RFE/RL Ukrainian Service photographer Serhiy Nuzhenko shared these photographs of the ceremony.
Ukrainian Christians Celebrate Easter With 'Holy Fire'
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Children wait for the Holy Fire, a flame lit in Jerusalem and passed from candle to candle, to arrive at the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv.
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The Holy Fire is said to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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After believers' candles are lit, they recite a prayer, followed by a midnight procession around the cathedral.
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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends the Easter procession with his family, accompanied by Patriarch Filaret, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate.
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President Poroshenko and his wife Maryna observe the ceremony.
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U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch at the Easter service
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Inside the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr
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Patriarch Filaret leads the service.
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According to tradition, the Holy Fire emanates from the stone bed believed to be the spot where Jesus's body was placed for burial.
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A priest blesses Easter baskets, which traditionally include a type of bread called paska and decorated Easter eggs known as pysanky or krashanky.
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