Great and Holy Saturday morning

Here are some more personal recollections, this time from the small or "first" Resurrection service. It was a full but not crowded church with light streaming in. Near the end of the reading of the many prophecies is the Song of the Three Holy Youths in the Burning Fiery Furnace. The responses were sung by a children's choir (ages 3 to 12) in front of the Plaschanitsa in alternation with the adult choir. The children were so earnest - very cute and very tender. Later, Father Christopher came swiftly out of the Royal Doors (Beautiful Gates) throwing rose petals. Immediately girls removed all the dark purple and black coverings in the whole church and replaced them with shining white. I took off my black scarf because I had hidden a white one beneath it. Later, people received the Holy Mysteries in front of the Tomb rather than as usual from the ambon near the iconostas. At the end the joyous peal of the Russian bells came in through the windows. In trapeza, although we were still fasting, a few families had their Pascha baskets blessed in anticipation of the midnight service yet to come. ---- A Worley, 22 April 09