March observances

Every year, Children's Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in different countries of the world and at different dates.  And even though not all countries keep the same date, there is a Universal Children's Day on November 20th of each year starting 1954 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Churches were last night to hold Easter Saturday services with congregations, which they had been unable to do in March due to the lockdown. 

Archbishop Ieronymos officiated over a service at Athens Cathedral from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., while thousands of Orthodox faithful gathered at churches around the country to sing hymns celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. 

On Monday night churches around the country are to hold Easter Saturday services, which they had been unable to in March due to the lockdown. 

Today is Bright Friday, the fifth day of the Bright Week, which is dedicated to St. Peter. The Bright Week, which commences on the second day after Easter, celebrates the Holy Apostles and the Holy Virgin, BNR recalls. The bright week ends with the second Easter on Sunday.

In Eastern Orthodoxy this day, known as Holy Saturday, is also called The Great Sabbath since it is on this day that Christ "rested" physically in the tomb. But it is also believed that it was on this day he performed in spirit the Harrowing of Hell and raised up to Paradise, having liberated those who had been held captive.

For Orthodox Christians, this is normally a time of reflection and communal mourning followed by joyful release, of centuries-old ceremonies steeped in symbolism and tradition.

But this year, Easter - by far the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox - has essentially been canceled.

Orthodox Christians are marking Good Friday, the day that commemorates the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion.

The ministries of Religion and Health have extended the closure of all places of worship in Greece through April 28, according to a decision published on Thursday.

The initial measure, which was aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus among congregations of all faiths, foresaw the closure of places of worship until April 20, a day after Greek Orthodox Easter.

On April 16th the Orthodox Church marks Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries.

Maundy Thursday is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. The day is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.

Leaving the regional cities during the Easter holidays - from Friday to Monday, will be banned, prime minister Boyko Borissov announced. He added that there is already an order issued by the Health Minister Kiril Ananiev.