The Orthodox Church in Hatay Antakya celebrated Easter with enthusiasm. Members of the congregation, who came to the Antakya Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church due to the Easter Feast, accompanied the mass and prayed.
Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, was celebrated enthusiastically by the Orthodox living in Hatay, Antakya. The ritual, which was held with the keen participation of the members of the congregation, witnessed quite colorful images. The hymns sung in unison brought the Easter enthusiasm to its peak.
Members of the congregation, who came to the mass held in the Antakya Orthodox Church early in the morning on Sunday, lit candles and accompanied the prayers and hymns. While the Church Fathers Jan Dellüler and Dimitri Doğum were conducting the Holy Easter Mass, peace messages were also given at the ceremony, during which parts of the Bible were read and Resurrection Hymns were sung. In the ceremony that continued in the garden of the church, the cries of “Mesih Kam-Hristos Anesti-Jesus is Risen” were raised together.
Fadi Hurigil, Head of the Congregational Foundation of the Antakya Orthodox Church, stated that this year they celebrated Easter with enthusiasm as well. Hurigil also expressed his wishes as “It is our greatest wish that people, regardless of their origins and opinions, live in fraternity, share their traditions and customs and peace and tranquility to prevail.”
At the end of the Holy Mass, the members of the congregation participating in the ceremony attended the traditional “Easter Breakfast” of the Church of Antakya, congratulated each other’s feast and tapped colored eggs, which is the ritual of the holiday.
The City Protocol Also Tapped Eggs
Due to the Easter holiday, the city protocol also visited the church. To the celebration hosted by Fadi Hurigil, Chairman of the Board of the Antakya Orthodox Church Foundation, especially Hatay Governor Rahmi Doğan; Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Murat Hayzaran, Antakya Catholic Church Father Domenice Bertogli, Defne Municipality Mayor İbrahim Güzel, İzmir Efeler Municipality Mayor Mehmet Fatih Atay, Defne Municipality Councilor Süleyman Çekmece and opinion leaders attended.
During the protocol visits to the Antakya Orthodox Church, all the guests tapped eggs with each other as a holiday tradition and then took a group photo in front of the church. (SAT-7 Turk/İlyas Edip TERBİYELİ-İskenderun)
