My First Pascha

Having gotten through the vesperal liturgy on Saturday morning, which began before nine and ended just shy of noon, I had lunch with E, then went to my parents' house to do homework, at which point I promptly fell asleep.

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10:30 pm. It's crowded but quiet in the dimly lit church. We're at the end of a grueling week, which followed a long forty days. Whatever prayers, hymns and readings are being done seem hushed.

Suddenly, the room is plunged in darkness. I can't see the person standing next to me, much less anything or anyone else. It does not last long, though, for Father Patrick comes out from the sanctuary into the nave with a candle. That one candle provides enough light that we can see what's happening. Jackson and Barry light their candles off of Father's, and the light spreads from person to person, eventually illuminating the whole room. The choir, the altar boys, Father Patrick, Deacon John, and the rest of us (mostly) walk outside, down the stairs, and around to the back of the parking lot. The choir is leading us in a song, as usual, alternating English, Greek, and Arabic.

Priest, deacon, subdeacon and altar boys are back upstairs on the back balcony. The rest of us are standing below them in the parking lot. The little girls require much supervision on account of long hair, candles, and no concept of where their bodies (and candles and hair) are in relation to each other. Someone reads the gospel. Father Patrick bangs on the door and quotes the psalm... Handel's Messiah is running through my brain. Lift up your heads O ye gates, and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. A voice from inside shouts Who is this King of Glory? They go through this three times. Everything is in threes. Finally, the door opens.

Christ is risen!
Truly He is risen!

Χριστός Ανέστη! (Christos Anesti!)
Αληθώς Ανέστη! (Aleithos Anesti!) -- Greek

!المسيح قام (al-Masīḥ qām!)
!حقا قام (Ḥaqqan qām!) -- Arabic

Хрїстóсъ воскрéсе! / Христос Воскресе! (Khristos Voskrese!)
Воистину Воскресе! (Voistinu Voskrese!) -- Church Slavonic/Russian

And the song changes from something dirge-like to the joyous Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and to those in the tombs bestowing life!

We all file back upstairs and into the nave to find the room transformed. Where all was dark now is light. White flowers and other decorations abound. The bier is gone (or stuck back in the corner). And the crowd that had been quiet and solemn is now full of life.

The "orchestrated chaos" continues until the wee hours of the morning, for there is liturgy, because it is now Sunday. By all rights, we should all be sleeping, but who cares if it's 2 AM? Christ is risen!

And not only that...

The fast is over! After liturgy, there was food. Eggs, meat, cheese, wine. And time to spend with all these wonderful people who have become my family in the last seven months.

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I got home a little after 3 Sunday morning. We reconvened at 2 pm for another service, another procession, and then an afternoon together at the park.

I've finally found home.