true stuff. i find that with the Russians too, even amoung the orthodox folks i often hear folks profess the most ludicrous pagan ideas...
attendance at the parish we go to now is pretty steady, and its a pretty even mix of convert-children of russians who immigrated before-new russian immigrants.
pascha was definitly packed but only about 1.5 to 2 times the usual attendance. i’m surprised that with everyone standing it fills up as easily as it does, it’s not a big building but with everyone standing you’d figure on there being a lot of room.
the oca parish we used to go to (and sometimes still do... we haven’t jumped ship per se, i don’t have any problems with the other parish) typically has 2-3 times the usual attendance on big feast days.
i’ve never been in russia on a major feast day to see how attendance is affected. that said most of their parishes are accessible daily which is something i find rare here.
Churches are sanctuaries, and in Europe many if not most churches are always open. However, Sunday is the designated day for attendance and worship. There is no substitute for Sunday.