20 April 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, İSTANBUL
Yesterday was Easter Sunday for Orthodox Christians and the start of celebrations that will last up to three days for these religious communities in Turkey.
In Antakya, a service was held at the local Orthodox church where Antakya's Orthodox Christian community celebrated. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Antakya Orthodox Church Foundation President Fadi Hurugil said he hoped Easter would bring peace, love and friendship to the world. The celebrations will last three days, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ will be marked by the church for the next 40 days. In Edirne yesterday, there was a service to celebrate Easter at the Sveti Georgi Church. Father Alaksandr Çıkırık led the service, for which the Orthodox community gathered. The service ended with a reading of passages from the Bible, and then the congregation presented offerings of Easter eggs and cake. Çıkırık said his church celebrated Easter with a 40-day fast. "We have celebrated the second coming of Christ. We lit candles today with our Turkish, Greek and Bulgarian guests to enlighten the world."
