‘Easter’, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, was celebrated with enthusiasm and longing at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Iskenderun. The members of the congregation, who came to the church without restrictions after 2 years, celebrated the Resurrection of Messiah with the pleasure of congratulating each other’s feast. Prayers were for health, peace and tranquility in the ceremony, which was held with the participation of a large crowd.
The ritual that started inside the church continued in the churchyard. While Church Fathers Dimitri Yıldırım, Yusuf Nicholas Papasoğlu and their entourage went to the courtyard with candles in their hands symbolizing the Holy Light, the Bible reading was also held in the courtyard.
After the reading of the Bible Chapter, the hymn ‘Mesih Kam-Hiristos Anesti-Jesus Resurrected’, which was sung in Turkish, Arabic and Greek for the Easter Feast, was sung over and over with enthusiasm by all the members of the congregation.
The Orthodox of Iskenderun, who lit sparklers along with candles, displayed a very beautiful, colorful and magnificent image in the church garden. While this colorful image lasted for minutes, the members of the congregation experienced the joy of the holiday to the fullest.
Hymns of ‘Mesih Kam’ Filled the Church
When they came to the door of the church together, Fathers Yıldırım and Papasoğlu opened the door of the church, which they had knocked three times to represent the rise of Christ from the grave, and entered the church, and the singing of the ‘Jesus is Risen’ continued for a while inside the church.
Easter sermons emphasized that the bodily death of Jesus Christ marks the beginning of “Eternal Life” for believers. It is stated that Christ suffered for us and was eventually killed on the cross, and on the third day He rose from the dead. In addition to the wishes of health and well-being, it was also wished for peace in the sermons to prevail all over the world.
Father Yıldırım, wishing that Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, would bring peace and tranquility to the Christian community and to all humanity, also conveyed his thanks to the state officials who celebrated the feast of the community with their messages.
Protocol’s interest to the Rite
Members of the protocol also showed interest in this special day, where colorful eggs and sweet yeast bread were distributed at the church entrance to the members of the congregation and those who attended the service. İskenderun District Governor İskender Yönden and his wife, district governor candidates, Mayor Fatih Tosyalı and District Police Chief Nevzat Güneş also participated in the Holy Mass and shared the enthusiasm of Christian citizens for the holiday.
After the mass, the members of the congregation gathered in the church garden again and continued the enthusiasm of the holiday by tapping eggs. On the night of the feast, extensive security measures were also taken by the teams of the Iskenderun District Police Department.
Easter feast; Considered one of greatest holidays of Christianity, marks the “Resurrection from the Dead” on the third day after our Savior, Jesus Christ, ate his last supper with his apostles, was killed by crucifixion, and sacrificed himself for all people. (SAT-7 TURK/İlyas Edip TERBİYELİ/İskenderun)
