A group of pilgrims delivered late on Saturday the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to the central Russian cathedral. The Holy Fire that is lit every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on the day preceding Orthodox Easter is believed by Orthodox Christians to be a miracle.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who heads the Russian Orthodox Church, led the divine service in downtown Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral.
In his Holy Liturgy, the patriarch cautioned against interpreting freedom as permissiveness, and called on believers to be guided more by spiritual rather than material values in their lives.
At midnight, the solemn festive procession with crosses and icons began, with priests and believers going around the church and glorifying the Resurrection.
During Easter celebrations Orthodox Christians greet each other with "Christ is risen!" and the reply is "He is risen indeed!" followed by three kisses. They also exchange Easter eggs.
Preparation for Easter celebrations begins in the Russian Orthodox Church on Holy Saturday - the last day of Holy Week, also known in Russia as Passion Week. On that day, people come to churches in great numbers to have paschal cakes and eggs blessed by priests.
Easter is preceded by a long period of fasting and is celebrated for the next 40 days after Easter Sunday.
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