Photos of Easter 2020 in Russia: Celebrating Amid a Pandemic

Russian Faith ^ | 4/22/20 | Staff

[marshmallow]

Easter, which is usually celebrated with brilliance, crowds and leaping joy in the Orthodox world for a full 40 days, looked very different this year amid the global pandemic. (Contrast this year's photos with the spectacular photo essay from Easter in Russia in 2018).The policies regarding church attendance vary from country to country and from city to city, but even in places where attendance is allowed, it is strictly regulated.

In Russia, many cities closed the churches to the public, with only the clergy permitted to participate in the service, while others allowed the faithful to attend as long as rules were followed. People invented various ways of celebrating as a community however. Many organized virtual choirs to sing Paschal chants. In Russia, a hashtag spread the idea for all the faithful forced to stay home to light a candle in their window around midnight on Ester, so as to celebrate Christ's resurrection as a community anyway.

However strange this Easter may have been for Christians all over the world, the faithful found ways to celebrate Christs' Resurrection and Triumph over Death. See photos below from Russia and other parts of the Orthodox World. Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

In Tbilisi (Georgia), on the eve of the holiday, the Orthodox came to the temple, but strictly kept their social distance.

Easter festive service in St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Krasnodar (Russia) was held without believers and was broadcast on the Internet

© REUTERS / EDUARD KORNIYENKO Kazan Cathedral (Stavropol, Russia). The faithful came to church in masks

[marshmallow]

More images at link.

[Gunslingr3]

Obviously a mouth breather.

[Mears]

Beautiful pics,very moving. Thanks for sharing.

.

[jmacusa]

Very touching how Russian women cover their heads in church.

[grey_whiskers]

+1