Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Easter

ብሪክ ትንሳዔ / A Blessed Pasha

Reblogged from April 5, 2012

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter anywhere from a week to two weeks after the western Church (sometimes, they occur at the same time, due to the vagaries of the Eastern Orthodox calendar, which Ethiopians follows). Fasika (Easter) follows eight weeks of fasting from meat and dairy. On Easter Eve, Ethiopian Christians participate in an hours-long church service that ends around 3 a.m., after which they break their fast and celebrate the risen Christ.

Source: Time Magazine

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THE SEVEN WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS

THE FIRST WORD

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Gospel of Luke 23:34

THE SECOND WORD

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Gospel of Luke 23:43

THE THIRD WORD

“Jesus said to his mother: “Woman, this is your son”. Then he said to the disciple: “This is your mother.” Gospel of John 19:26-27

THE FOURTH WORD

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

THE FIFTH WORD

“I thirst” Gospel of John 19:28

THE SIXTH WORD

When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
“It is finished”; and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.” Gospel of John 19:30

THE SEVENTH WORD

Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” Gospel of Luke 23:46

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Ethiopian Orthodox Church Celebrates Easter

Typical beef sitting of Ethiopia — Delicious, yummy, yum, yum!

Seattle Fasika

The mothers’ choir sings at St. Gebriel Ethiopian Orthodox Church, near Seattle’s Judkins Park, in the early morning hours Sunday, April 15, 2012 celebrating Easter. More than a 1,000 people attended the service, worshipping inside the church, in a tent and in the parking lot. Many wore traditional white shawls, while the service was delivered in Amharic and Ge’ez, an ancient language once used in Ethiopia that is now only used in church

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Cramming on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s roof for Ethiopian Easter Mass

Photo: Courtesy of Israeli photographer, Ouria Tadmor

The Israeli police do not blink an eye when our party of one Ethiopian and four Europeans turns the corner opposite the door to a Coptic Orthodox chapel and slide through the entrance to the courtyard of the hermitage. Here priests are already conducting the service in a rectangular tent made of panels of clear and flowered plastic. The Greeks and Armenians require impossible-to- obtain passes to attend Easter Mass below in the church; the Ethiopians welcome all to the roof until packed to capacity.

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Orthodox Holy Week and Paschal Snaps Worldwide – 2012

Faithfuls returning from Palm Sunday liturgy at Bole Medhanealem Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Addis Abeba

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Scenes From Fasika at St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Toronto

 

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Fasika (Easter) In Ethiopia

GOOD FRIDAY

Church of St Mary of Zion , Axum – photo by M.Torres, via Travel-Images.com

The solemn liturgical service of Good Friday is attended by thousands of believers. There is a sense of sorrow and desolation. All the symbols, images and instruments used in the passion of the Saviour are publicly exhibited in the church.

Men and women go to church to prostrate themselves, remaining there from early morning till 3 p.m. the hour of the death of Jesus Christ. Believers confess their greater and lesser offenses to the confessor or sit reading their Psalter. It is believed that on

Good Friday blood fell from Christ on the cross and dripped into the grave of Adam beneath and there rose up from the dead about 500 people; the thief on the left was sent into darkness but the one on the right went before Adam into Paradise.

On this Friday the Devil was bound with cords and Christ descending to purgatory (seol) sent forth to paradise all the souls that were in darkness (Seol). Good Friday is a special day for confession.

Why The Good Thief Was Pardoned

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