The atmosphere of Easter started to be evident more since the Palm Sunday, a day which sings the beginning of Holy Week of the saving passions. This atmosphere in the city of Korça was expressed not only in the decoration of the churches and in the intensity of prayers and church services but also the banners with the Easter greeting in the streets of the city demonstrated it. The church services were held in all the churches of the city and they were attended by many believers. On Tuesday in the third service of the Bridegroom the Metropolitan of Korça his Eminence Joan, spoke for the liturgical importance of this week and for its experience. More intensive the participation became on the evening of Holy Wednesday which now has become a tradition that all the believers come in the Cathedral of the Life-giving Spring and attended the service of Unction, which was celebrated by his Eminence Joan, this united celebration ended with the holy anointing of the believers. Holy Thursday the services were held in all the churches. While in the evenings, according to the typikon of the day the Lord hung on the cross was placed in the center of the church and thousands of people kneel down in front of the Crucified.
Friday morning began with the service in which the Lord was taken down from the cross. Right after this moment the sounds of the bells started to be heard in mourning throughout the city. Again thousands of believers prayed in front of the Epitaph of the Lord. The celebrations of this day contained also a tradition which it is not known when and how it started. Everybody goes to kiss the Epitaph in all the churches as a sing of gratitude and thanksgiving for the sublimate sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ did for the mankind. This tradition makes that the streets of the city are filled with people though with a tone of mourning.
On Friday evening all the believers were gathered in their churches where after the Lamentation Service at 18:45 the 5 Epitaphs of the all churches met together. After that the procession continued, the musical band of the city accompanied the Epitaphs with funeral marches and with the melody of the third stanca of lamentations. The procession was attended by thousands of people that accompanied the processionthroughout its progress in the small ring of the city. So returning to their own churches was ended this day of joyful morning, where the Resurrection comes from the Cross and life from death.
The peak of the celebration was on Saturday at midnight. The Metropolitan of Korça, his Eminence Joani gave the joyful and triumphal news of the Resurrection and said in his greeting: “For this reason the Church invites us to take part in the light of the Resurrection of Christ, to live the joy that comes through this light. She invites us to experience the Resurrection of the Lord, because only through this experience we can feel the living joy of this event, which is the greatest gift that God has given to the human race through Jesus Christ.
On Sunday at 10:00, which has become a tradition now, was celebrated the Agape prayer. In Korça this service is a untied celebration and is always held in the church of the Life-giving Spring. Later on from the balcony of the Holy Metropolitan of Korça his Eminence Joani as it has become a tradition now said again the Resurrection news which from the people of Korça is know as Dhefteri Anastasi The Second Resurrection. So after that in the residency of the Metropolis was offered a reception on the occasion of Easter. There took part local political leaders, people of art and culture, personalities of the academic world and hundreds of believers, whom with the greeting Christ is Risen received also the fatherly blessings of Metropolitan Joan. Everything was filled with the greeting: Christ is Risen!
Mihal Sonellari
Translated by Gabriela Bezhani and Nathan Hoppe
