Eastern Orthodox Christians marking Holy Trinity Day

MOSCOW, June 7 (Itar-Tass) – On the fiftieth day after the Easter, known as Pascha in the Eastern Orthodox World, the Orthodox Christian community is marking the Day of the Holy Trinity — the Pentecost.

In Russia, Trinity Day is one of the major religious and popular festivals.

Canons of the Orthodox Church suggest that the feast of the Pentecost is the last event in the annual liturgical circle that is linked to the Pascha.

The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill visits the world-famous The Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra (Troitse-Sergieva Lavra) northeast off Moscow where he serves a festive liturgy and a special kneeling office of vespers that is chanted only once a year precisely on this day.

With these prayers, the Church prays for the bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the entire congregation and on departed believers.

The feast of the Pentecost focuses on the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, which according to the New Testament occurred in the Zion Tabernacle when the Apostles had gotten together for a religious celebration.

As the Book of Acts describes it, “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with diverse tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.”

The Eastern Orthodox canon traditionally considers Trinity Day as the birthday of the Christian Church.

Since Christian Pentecost is closely linked to the Old Testament Pentecost, the believers have a tradition of decorating church buildings festively with birch-trees, herbs and flowers of every colour.

This should resemble the blossoming in the areas adjoining Mount Sinai when Moses received the tablets with the text of the Covenant from the Lord.

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