Happy Easter !!!

[Hannia]

To all our Ukrainian Friends who celebrate Easter,
according to the Julian Calendar:

Khrystos Voskres/Christ is Risen!

Voistyno Voskres/He is Truly Risen!

___________________________________

Ukraine and Ukrainian Easter at BRAMA
Ukraine and Ukrainian Easter at BRAMA

[Max_the_Highlander]

Hannia, thank you very much for your kind gratters, I guess you meant Ukrainians as well.

These holydays in Ukraine were outstanding. The records show churches were visited by 14 millions of people - never seen before.

The ceremony of taking the Jerusalem fire was splendid. The President was on TV with his congratulations more often then commercials.

So the best wishes for all Ukrainians beyond the Ukraine!

[andrewblow]

Hi Max and Hannia,
May I add my 'congratulations of the Season' with a loud "Happy Easter" - including all those people INSIDE Ukraine as well !!

Max - can you explain to me the celebration of "Taking the Jerusalem Fire" I have not heard of that before.

I am pleased your President gets involved in this way - I wish ours' did !!

Best wishes,
Andrew

[Max_the_Highlander]

Hi Andrew,

old friend, as usually you join the most bright moments connected with Christianity.

Well, the transition of Jerusalem fire is very similar with transition of Olympic fire, just without cranky political fanatics around.

There is temple in Jerusalem, it seems it's located on Holhofa, and Christian priest comes there with torch but without matches. He prays and God gives him the fire. Then he comes out and burns many candles and torches.

One of that torches moves to Ukraine.

President and the highest patriarches accept it right near the airplane and then this holy fire moves to bigger and lesser churches of all Christian confessions here.

Pretty amazing.

[andrewblow]

Thank you Max. Yes- that's an amazing tradition - I had not been told of that before.

We associate 'fire' with Pentecost, but we don't use the symbolism of the candles - and yes - the progress of the Olympic torch is bizzarre. I hope the winds of mount Everest blow it out - hahha, or it dies in a snowstorm.

There again - we should not let politics affect world sport.......it just.....does.

[Max_the_Highlander]

Politics affect the world sport when the country is sinner. China has a lot of sins as Tibet annexation, human rights violence, permament dictatorship, etc... When they came "on the daylight", this everything just has been shifted up.

Actually, I just remembered the Jerusalem fire exists only for Orthodoxes... it seems. I guess God doesn't fire the torch twice for Catholics and Orthodoxes because we celebrate the Easter in other days. This everything was in Jerusalem just before the our celebration so I think it's not Catholic tradition.

And so I have a good idea... let your church will send next year a guy with torch or candle to Jerusalem. It will be interesting, Jerusalem Fire arrives to London too.