Many thanks to Sergey for sharing these wonderful photographs!
Pascha begins in darkness at midnight, when a single candle begins burning in the altar behind the iconostas. The priest, then the clergy, then the people join in singing, and from that one flame, representing the Light of Christ that has come into the world in His Resurrection, all of the candles are lit. In this series of photographs, the flash enables us to see, but aside from the moments of the flash, the church was dark, and then became brighter and brighter as more and more candles were lit.
After all of the people's candles were brightly shining, the procession began, three times around the church, singing in awe and joy!
Matins of Pascha continues inside, with the priests censing the church and the people again and again, shouting joyfully in many languages, "Christ is risen!" and the people replying in the same languages, "Indeed He is risen!"
Honoring our communion in Christ with the Orthodox faithful of many lands, the Paschal Gospel was read in many languages, beginning with the original Greek, and culminating in Father Christopher proclaiming it in its entirety in English.
