Orthodox Easter celebrated across Africa (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
African countries marked Orthodox Easter this weekend, with celebrations taking place in Tanzania, the Central African Republic, Mali, Madagascar, South Africa, Benin, Cameroon, and Kenya.
The events combined religious services with cultural activities, highlighting the spread of Orthodox traditions across the continent.
In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, students took part in an Easter workshop in which they learned egg-painting techniques, as well as the history and symbolism of the holiday.
“It would seem a simple task, but it hides a whole world of traditions, symbols, and a warm holiday atmosphere,” the Russian House in Dar es Salaam said. The gathering reportedly sparked active discussions, with participants comparing local customs to Russian traditions.
In the Central African Republic, Russian Embassy staff attended a service at the Russian House in Bangui. “The solemn Easter service concluded with the traditional blessing of Easter cakes and painted eggs, which were shared in a warm atmosphere,” the Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic said on Sunday.
In Bamako, Mali, priest Vyacheslav Perkov conducted services at the Russian Embassy, after which people brought Easter dishes, including ostrich eggs, to be blessed.
Elsewhere, Orthodox believers gathered for night services on Saturday in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo. In South Africa, Benin, and Cameroon, clergy led festive liturgies attended by local congregations. Services were also held in Kenya.
Speaking to TASS on Thursday, the dean of the Eastern Church District of Uganda, Hieromonk Silouan (Brown), noted that African Christians often adhere to the Easter traditions of the ‘Old World’, of countries “such as Russia or Greece, in contrast to the Nativity of Christ, which has begun to acquire its own unique African flavor.”
Orthodox Easter is celebrated on a date calculated according to the Julian calendar and usually comes later than Western Easter, often in April. The holiday is preceded by a period of fasting and culminates in night liturgies and processions.
