Today, Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate Easter also known as Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  The service, which should have taken place at midnight, because of COVID-19’s curfew has postponed to the early hours of Sunday morning.

In his message the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and all of Albania, Anastas Yanullatos stated that in a world filled with hate, there need to be active acts of prayer for more unity and harmony amongst people.

“In a world that suffers from life-threatening animosity, let us fight against hate and its many variants,” states Yanullatos, wishing for good health and hope in these difficult times of the pandemic.

Political leaders around Albania have also extended their wishes through posts on their social media accounts.

The Christian holiday of Easter originates from the core of the religious and cultural heritage of the Hebrew nation, one of the symbolics of which is the sacrifice of the lamb.

For Christians, Easter marks the moment of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead back to life.

Another symbolic emblem of the Christian Easter is the red egg. According to a folktale, legend has it that when Maria Magdalena went to tell the Roman Emperor, Pontius Pilate, that Christ had risen, she brought with her a basket full of eggs as a gift.

His answer was “Christ has no more risen than that egg is red.” After making this statement, it is said that the eggs immediately turned blood red.