About a thousand people gathered on April 5 for Easter service, which took place in the Temple of the Holy Apostle Philip in Sharjah - the only Orthodox church on the Arabian Peninsula. Among the guests, according to tradition, the temple was attended by heads of diplomatic missions of Russia and the CIS countries, heads of large companies. This year, the parishioners of the temple also became the stars of domestic show business - the “king of Russian pop music” Philip Kirkorov, who was on vacation in the United Arab Emirates, and Ukrainian popdiva Ani Lorak, who successfully performed a concert at the Dubai hotel Atlantis the Palm.
It is worth recalling that the feast of the Holy Sunday is the main holiday of Orthodox Christians. On Easter Day, the Resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ on the third day after His crucifixion is remembered. Traditionally, during the Easter service, a procession is held and a bell ringing sounds - Blagovest (only the procession is performed in the Church of St. Apostle Philip). After midnight, the Royal Gates open, the clergy leave the altar and, together with the flock, like the myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb of Jesus Christ, go around the church, which symbolizes the procession of the church towards the risen Savior, stop in front of closed doors, as if at the entrance to the Tomb Lord, and they sing a joyful Easter troparion. Then the priest, holding a cross and a three-candlestick, performs the sign of the Cross at the closed doors of the temple, they open, and everyone, rejoicing, enters the church, where all the lamps and lamps are lit, and sing: "Christ is risen from the dead!". At Easter service Easter bread is blessed - artos, which is distributed to believers. Easter ends Lent. After the end of the festive service, Orthodox Christians usually chat with consecrated colored eggs and Easter cakes at the church or at home.
