Pascha, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, is the most radiant and spiritually exalted feast in the Christian liturgical year. Known in the West as Easter, Pascha is not merely a commemoration of an event—it is a mystical encounter with the triumph of life over death, light over darkness, and eternal joy over the sorrow of the tomb. Its name, derived from the Hebrew Pesach (Passover), speaks to the deep continuity of liberation woven through both Jewish and Christian sacred memory.
Pascha begins in darkness. On Holy Saturday night, the faithful gather in silence, holding unlit candles, the church dim and still. At midnight, a single flame is lit—traditionally from the altar—and passed from candle to candle, spreading light through the assembly. Bells ring, choirs burst into song, and the priest proclaims, “Christ is Risen!” The air is filled with incense, song, and the joyful repetition of ancient words: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.”
The liturgy of Pascha is intensely symbolic. The darkness of the tomb is met with the blaze of resurrection light. The closed doors of the sanctuary are opened, echoing the stone rolled away. The chanting is ecstatic, and the atmosphere becomes one of sacred celebration—a festival not of abstract theology, but of felt transformation.
Spiritually, Pascha is a celebration of new creation. Christ’s resurrection is not viewed merely as a return from death, but as the renewal of the cosmos—the beginning of a transfigured reality in which death no longer holds dominion. It is the fulfilment of divine love, the victory of self-giving over violence, and the restoration of communion between God and humanity.
In Orthodox theology, Pascha is not only historical but eternal. It is a feast that transcends time, unfolding in the timeless presence of the Divine. It draws the soul into the heart of the mystery—where pain is not erased but transfigured, and where light shines not in place of darkness, but through it.
Philosophically, the resurrection speaks to the hope that the arc of existence bends not toward entropy, but toward renewal. It affirms that the story is not over in the grave, that life contains within it the seed of eternity. In the resurrection, the finite is lifted into the infinite, the broken is made whole.
Culturally, Pascha is marked by processions, feasting, and the breaking of the Lenten fast. Red eggs, symbolising both the tomb and the bursting forth of life, are exchanged and cracked against one another in joyful games. Traditional foods—rich, spiced, and sweet—are shared in the early hours after the midnight liturgy, transforming communal hunger into sacred celebration.
Artistically, the imagery of Pascha is luminous: icons of the Harrowing of Hell show Christ breaking down the gates of death and lifting Adam and Eve from the grave. The colour gold is used abundantly, reflecting the uncreated light of divinity. Chant, vestments, and incense become extensions of the mystery being celebrated.
Pascha is ultimately a festival of deep joy and cosmic hope. It is not simply a memory of resurrection but a participation in it. In the stillness of the night broken by flame, in the ringing of bells and the singing of ancient hymns, Pascha reminds the soul that death is not the end, that love is stronger than the grave, and that through Christ, all things shall be made new.
