As usual in Korca, the Paschal atmosphere could be felt as early as Palm Sunday which marks the closing of Great Lent and the beginning of the Holy Week.  The churches were beautifully decorated, the prayers and services became more intense, and the city was decked out in banners with paschal greetings.
    All the churches in the city celebrated the services and many believers attended.  In one of the Bridegroom Services, His Grace Joani explained the meaning of these days:   “The first days of Holy Week, more than any other time, reminds us of the tragedy of sin, in any case this time of mourning for the Church is not the same as for those who have no hope.  The tragedy of sin is always accompanied by the great love of God who has the final word on everything.”
 
    “All the suffering and passions of Christ, are not the passions of a tragic hero, but are the passions which God turns into salvation.  Even though people crucified Him, and when I say people I mean every one of us had a hand in this crucifixion, still, the Cross was transformed into another instrument.  That with which we try to inflict evil, God uses it for good.
    Every suffering which comes into our lives and we see as a punishment is often not so, but in fact something that helps us to understand life more deeply.  Not only those who are religious, but also many philosophers have said that there can be no mental leap or transcendence without some kind of suffering.  Suffering often breaks through that crust which covers the spirit which otherwise is unable to understand the great tragedy of sin and the salvation of God.
 
    If only we would come near and taste a little of the mystery of the Lord, then we would understand what a treasure we lose in not tasting it.  … So, during this week, let us try to taste something of that which the Church offers us through her services,  and through this our spirit will find peace, will be filled with compassion and will be able to understand things which we had not understood before.”
    More people took part in the Holy Wednesday evening service which took place according to tradition in the Cathedral of the Life giving Fount.  His Grace Joani celebrated the service of Holy Unction.
    On Holy Thursday the services continued in all the churches when in the evening Christ hanging on the Cross was placed in the middle of the church after which tens of thousands of people kneeled before He who was Crucified.
    On Thursday the Korca City Government put 10 wooden homes in the square in front of the cathedral and the according to an old Korcar tradition the pottery fair was held.  The tradition is taken from the gospel where the money which Judas returned after his betrayal of the Lord was used to buy a potter’s field and so according to tradition everyone buys pottery in memory of this event.
 
    Taking the Lord down from the Cross was commemorated in a service on Friday.  The moments after this event, the city was filled with church bells ringing out in mourning.  Again thousands of people venerated the Epitafion of the Lord.  On this day another tradition has developed though it is unknown when and where this tradition began.  Everyone goes and takes leave of the Epitafion in all the churches as a sign of thankfulness and appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice which the Lord made for mankind.  This tradition makes it so that in the city the whole day is not overwhelmed by natural feelings of mourning.  The Service of Lamentations for the Lord’s burial on Friday evening brings the believers out from the various churches to the central square where they meet with 5 Epitafions and make a procession together around the city.  As this procession continues the city band accompanies the Epitafions with funeral marches and with melodies from the third stanza of the Lamentations  “All generations…”  The procession is followed by thousands of people as the procession continues around the inner ring of the city.  Finally the five churches separate and go into their own churches and so closes this mournful and joyful day, where the Cross passes into the Resurrection and death into life.
 
    The feast days naturally reach the culmination at midnight on Saturday.  The Metropolitan of Korca, His Grace Joani declared the joyful and triumphant news of the Resurrection that “Christ is risen from the dead and by death He has trampled down upon death, and to those in the tombs He has bestowed life”.  He continued saying, “This famous hymn of the Church proclaims that which we commemorate with such joy – the conquering of death and the gift of life.  We all know and sing this hymn, but when we repeat something often and don’t stop to think about its inner meaning and meditate on it, it loses its meaning.  If we were to become more conscientious of this troparion’s meaning, if we were to become more aware of everyone of its words, then our joy would be beyond words, our gladness would be ineffable and our life would take on meaning, hope, and joy.
 
    The human being is a joining of soul and body and death is the common enemy of all mankind, because it strikes man in the essence of his being by separating body and soul and thereby destroying the human person.  Every human strength is powerless before death.  No one is saved from death and that is the last station of every person.
 
    Seen from this perspective, life would be a sadness and the world a place of despair.  This is how it would be if death were not conquered.  This is how it would be if it weren’t for the Lord.  Therefore Pascha is not only the most important event in the history of creation but its also a great gladness because the Lord conquered death and made it possible to regain the integrity of mankind.  In overcoming it, He opened the way for all of us, that in living with Him in this temporary life, we will win the life without end.  So we sing with joy for the conquering of death and the Resurrection of the Lord.”
 
    On Sunday as is tradition the Vespers of Love was celebrated, which in Korca is always held in the church of the Life giving Fount.  Later from the balcony of the Holy Metropolis building, His Grace Metropolitan Joan proclaims once again the news of the Resurrection which the people of Korca know by the name “Dhefteri Anastasi”, The Second Resurrection.  The day closed with a reception attended by deputies, local authorities, celebrities of the arts and culture, academics, and hundreds of believers who with the greeting “Christ is Risen” took the fatherly blessing of the Metropolitan Joan.  Everything was filled with the greeting “Christ is Risen”!
 
 
By Mihal Sonellari
Translated and edited by Georgia Bendo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                                 
Post Views: 177