Romanians Celebrate Easter

Romanians, most of whom are Christian Orthodox, are getting ready for Easter.

România Internațional, 29.04.2016, 13:40

“Christ is risen”, “Indeed, he is risen”; these are the words with which Romanians, most of whom are Christian Orthodox, will on Saturday, at midnight, greet the great news of the Resurrection of Jesus, the son of God. Betrayed by Judas, one of his 12 apostles, Jesus was tried for blasphemy by the Jewish religious authorities. Charged for allegedly attempting to undermine state authority, the Romans decided to crucify Jesus, who would later die on the cross, in terrible pain.

But to Christian Orthodox believers, his death does not mean going into nothingness, but into the Father’s divine light. In fact, light is the leitmotif of Easter, as on Saturday, at midnight, priests invite people to get and spread the Holy Light, symbolized by the lighting of a candle. Lots of Romanians will attend the masses held on this occasion everywhere in the country, as well is in orthodox churches abroad. According to the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, in a world that is growing more confused and sad by the day, with so many people facing violence, poverty, illness, suffering and so many forms of spiritual death, Easter is an urge to love, peace and joy.

That is why, through prayers, good words and deeds, Romanians can help orphan children, the elderly and those Romanians who are forced to live abroad, but who are longing for their country and for the loved ones they left behind. Without these people, many towns and villages in Romania are now sad and helpless. That is why, Patriarch Daniel said, they should be encouraged to come back home and stay.

In Romania, the percentage of people who celebrate Orthodox Easter stands at 94%, and 87% of them say they will attend the Resurrection mass. As people celebrate Easter also by feasting, with red eggs, lamb roast and Easter cake, many of them have allocated a significant amount of money to buy what they need to properly celebrate Easter. 65% of the Romanians who celebrate Easter will stay at home, with 22% of them planning to visit relatives and friends. 9% will celebrate by going on a mini-vacation.

Some have chosen Romanian mountain and Black Sea resorts. For instance, some 30,000 people are expected to celebrate Easter on the seacoast. Others have chosen destinations abroad, such as Rome, Milan, London, Barcelona, Madrid and Paris. The Romanians who are working abroad will come back home for a few days, to celebrate Easter with their family. For this period, the number of plane tickets sold for trips to Romania has increased by 500%, as compared to the rest of the year. Most of them were sold in the countries where large Romanian communities work and live, such as Italy, Spain, Great Britain, the US and Canada.

(Translated by M. Ignatescu)