Greek Orthodox members prepare for Holy week
The Greek Orthodox Church in Saweni, Lautoka, are partaking in a 50day lent fasting from March 12 until orthodox Easter on May 2.
Saint Tabitha Orphanage and safe home matron Abbess Melani said Palm Sunday would be celebrated on April 25, also marking the start of the Holy week that ends on orthodox Easter. “We have the Holy week and that’s where we do whatever Jesus Christ had gone through. So that’s his crucifixion and the resurrection and there’s a lot of programmes there. And we do the prayers and then we have Easter on Saturday evening,” she said.
“So most of the time, we’ve been doing the Easter celebration at midnight for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but this year, because of the curfew, we will be celebrating on Saturday evening.”
She said members would not eat meat during the lent fasting period.
“When we started it was our meat fair and it was oil free but because of the Saint Tabitha Home, we have children. So for their health the children are having milk, egg and fish but not meat, we have restricted meat from them till the Holy week,” she said.
“We have our prayers every evening and our service on Saturdays, and Friday afternoon we do the Akathist to the Virgin Mary, and then on Sunday every week we have the celebration like this week we have the Sunday for the Holy Cross.”
She said the day after Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where members will have a feast. “We do have another church in Vanua Levu so they will also be celebrating this. so, we celebrate that Christ is risen and it’s just a message to the whole of Fiji, now is the time to ask for forgiveness, now’s the time to have faith in God and to love your neighbours,” she said.