Happy Easter to the Christian Orthodox World – Love to everyone – Poetry and Orthodox Customs by Vasile Trif

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My dear Followers and Subscribers,

Χριστός Ανέστη!
Christ is risen!

Happy Easter to the Christian Orthodox World! Love to everyone. Literary Revelations will celebrate this Orthodox Easter with the fabulous Romanian-Canadian artist, poet, professor, and Orthodox priest Vasile Trif. Vasile is based in Canada.

We will start with one of his poems, followed by the traditional customs of the Romanian-Orthodox Church explained in a few words by Vasile, and we will end with some pictures of Vasile serving the Easter Mass in Canada.

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Poem by Vasile Trif

Passage

Those dry words from the worlds
with which you light the fire every morning
before the crowing of the rooster

those words made up of letters with leaden legs
that besiege the breath every second
have hung from the plank
The Word

but a day will come
when
transparency
will be made up entirely of the body burning with light

the writing of the loom
will allow the latter to seep across it
in the early morning
into the wedding of dew

• traslation by André Seleanu

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Romanian Orthodox Customs by Vasile Trif

The Easter Liturgy

On Saturday, at midnight on Easter night, when darkness is at its deepest, all the candles in the church are extinguished. The dark space symbolizes “the darkness of death and hell into which Christ descended.” The living and deified soul of Christ, who descended into hell, is symbolized by the single candle that remains lit, placed on the Holy Table of the Altar.

When the priest lights the Paschal candle, he moves away from the altar and raises it, thus signifying the mystery of Christ’s resurrection. Since the word “Passover” (Pesach) means passage, the invitation, “Come and receive the light!” is a call to pass from the darkness of death to the light of eternal life.

From the priest’s single candle, all the candles of the faithful are lit. This symbolically testifies to the truth that the resurrection of Christ is the beginning and foundation of the resurrection of all humankind. At the end of the liturgy, the faithful bring food in baskets to be blessed and consecrated with holy water. This usually includes eggs, cheese, lamb, and cakes. These foods are then eaten at home with their families.

Preparing for the Feast of the Resurrection means working towards inner and outer balance.

Romanian Easter Traditions

On Holy Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, women prepare the lamb and dyed eggs for Easter with their families. Dyeing eggs is an important tradition and the most widespread Christian Easter custom. In the past, eggs were dyed only red.

According to a Romanian legend, Mary placed a basket of eggs near the cross where Jesus was crucified, and they were sprinkled with his blood. At the Easter table, the dyed eggs are tapped together according to a specific ritual: the eldest person taps the top of their egg against the top of the egg held by the other person, while saying, “Christ is risen,” to which the response is, “Truly, He is risen.”

The Easter meal is an opportunity to gather with family—a moment of joy and hope where everything evokes new life.

Vasile Trif

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On the Orthodox Easter by Gabriela Marie Milton

The Holy Fire is believed to originate from the tomb of Jesus Christ within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. During the ceremony, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch—accompanied by other Orthodox clergy—enters the inner sanctum of the Holy Sepulchre, which is carefully inspected and sealed beforehand. After fervent prayers inside the darkened tomb, the Patriarch emerges holding lit bundles of candles, signifying the miraculous appearance of the Holy Fire. He then distributes the flame to the faithful waiting outside, who eagerly receive and share this sacred light.

From Jerusalem, the Holy Fire travels swiftly beyond the city’s ancient walls. Delegates and pilgrims carry the flame by air, land, and sea to Orthodox churches across the globe—often in specially protected lanterns to ensure its continuity. The light must arrive in time for midnight Easter services, linking communities in a shared act of faith.

The miracle of the Holy Fire is a subject of profound reverence for many, who believe that the flame appears spontaneously each year without human intervention, a divine sign of resurrection and hope.  For the devoted, the ceremony’s beauty and symbolism outweigh any doubts, and the Holy Fire remains a powerful tradition, illuminating hearts and churches throughout the Orthodox world.

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I remember one night when I went with my family to the Easter service at a Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The priest emerged from the darkness of the church with a candle in his hand, his voice echoing as he proclaimed, “Christ is Risen! Come and take the light!” Hundreds of people stood together around the church, each quietly holding their unlit candles, waiting for the light to be given to everyone. As the flame was passed from person to person in the front rows, the darkness slowly receded and pockets of warmth and light multiplied. Suddenly, my own candle flickered to life, though in the section where I stood, there had been no fire yet. Mama was stunned. To this day, I do not know exactly how it happened, but the memory still fills me with wonder and awe.

In some churches, the priest will give the light to everyone inside the church as he comes with the light from the altar and proclaims, “Christ is Risen!”

Disclaimer:

While the Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem is considered a significant event and miracle by many within the Orthodox Christian tradition, it is important to note that some Orthodox priests and scientists do not share this belief. There are diverse perspectives regarding the authenticity of the miracle, and some members of the clergy and scientific community attribute the phenomenon to natural or human-made causes rather than a supernatural event. I am not aware of what our beloved priest Vasile Trif believes.

 

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Gabriela Marie Milton
Author, Editor-in-Chief

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1. Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony and Power in Japanese Art
2. Fine art Photography: Lullscapes in Light and Shadow
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6. Petals of Haiku: An Anthology 
7. Hidden in Childhood: A Poetry Anthology
8. Echoes Lost in Stars: Poems by PS Conway
9. Love, Stars, and Paradigms: Poems by Swarn Gill
10. Building Sandcastles by C.X. Turner and James Welsh  
11. Greenlandos by Virginia Witch

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