The Orthodox Christian community of Turkey, mainly composed of Greek and Armenian Turkish nationals, observed Easter Sunday in the early hours of the day with religious services.
In Istanbul, the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which has millions of followers around the world among its congregation, hosted an Easter Mass led by Patriarch Bartholomew at the Aya Yorgi Church.
Patriarch Bartholomew wished peace for Ukraine and the world during his sermon. The war in Ukraine weighed on the traditional midnight sermons for many Orthodox Christians as they celebrated Easter early on Sunday, but the feast was still marked around the world, even in war-torn Ukraine and Russia. "We feel the pain, it tears our hearts apart," said Bartholomew.
Theodore II, the current Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all of Africa, found clearer words: "Although God has shown people the way to peace, they remain divided by enmities and disputes," he said. "Humanity was led into wars that drench the earth with blood. We experience this image clearly today when we see with sorrow how our brothers in faith are killing each other in Ukraine," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a traditional Easter service in Moscow early on Sunday, handing Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill a richly adorned Easter egg in accordance with tradition, the state news agency Tass reported. Kirill has always backed Putin's policies. He has also blamed the West for the war in Ukraine. The traditional Orthodox midnight services in Ukraine were banned due to a curfew imposed during the Orthodox Easter weekend, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded citizens in his daily address late on Saturday. People were allowed to attend Mass from 5 a.m. on Sunday.
During the ceremony in the garden of the Patriarchate in Istanbul at midnight local time, the lights in the Patriarchate and the church were turned off and the bells were rung. Afterward, attendees joined the Mass and lit candles that symbolize the resurrection of Jesus in Christian belief.
A crowded service also took place in Hatay, a southern Turkish province, one of the few in Anatolia that is home to a multifaith population. The faithful convened at Antakya Orthodox Church for the Mass led by spiritual leaders Jan Dellüler and Dimitri Doğum. The service was followed by a light show in the church courtyard and confetti was sprinkled on the faithful. In Hatay’s Samandağ district, St. Ilyas Church was at the heart of the celebrations. Mass was followed by a fireworks display outside the church and the faithful tapping Easter eggs as part of the tradition.
In Mardin, the Syriac community marked Easter Sunday at Mor Şarbel church in the Midyat district, the historical home of the community, which adheres to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The faithful of all ages lit candles and said prayers as the religious service kicked off in the early hours of Sunday, followed by choirs of girls and boys singing hymns. After the service, people exchanged Easter greetings and candies, a sweet Easter bread known as "Paskalya çöreği" and Easter eggs painted red.
Evgil Türker, who heads the federation of Syriac assocations, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of the event that this year's Easter came in near succession of important days of other faiths. "Today is our holiday and a few days ago, the Yazidi community marked their day (Chaharshanbeh Suri) and next week, Muslims will mark Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr). I congratulate them as well and hope our religious holidays will further cement the unity of our communities," he said. Ferit Demir, a Syriac faithful who attended the event, said they were striving to keep old traditions alive and he brought his children to the church to observe Easter Sunday together. Kenan Abraham, a longtime resident of Germany, said that he has been visiting his mother living in Midyat every year during Easter and tries to attend the service every year in the church. Rudi Sümer stated that the service was more crowded after the past two years, when the COVID-19 pandemic limited attendance to church services. "This is an exciting time for us. We are happy to be together again," Sümer said.
Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter later than their mostly Western counterparts, as the Orthodox festival is determined according to the Julian calendar, which dates back to the Roman Empire and differs from the Gregorian calendar, adopted in the 16th century.