"Christ is Risen!" Easter Greetings in Many Languages

The Resurrection of the Christ,

an Orthodox icon.

It is Easter night in Finland, and I just came from the Easter Midnight Mass aka Easter Night Service. It was a beautiful event in a small local church. Soon comes the Resurrection Morning, and the sun will rise. So it's time for Easter greeting. I want to do it in an "Orthodox way".

In the Orthodox Church, Easter is called Pascha. According to Wikipedia, "the Paschal greeting is an Easter custom among Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christians, as well as among some Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians. Instead of "hello" or its equivalent, one is to greet another person with "Christ is Risen!", and the response is "Truly, He is Risen" (compare Matthew 27:64, Matthew 28:6-7, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6, Luke 24:34). In some cultures, such as in Russia and Serbia, it is also customary to exchange a triple kiss on the alternating cheeks after the greeting".

Related to this tradition, Leo Tolstoy's great novel Resurrection (1899) includes one of the most beautiful love scene in literature. Chapter 15 tells how boy (Nekhludoff) and girl (Katyusha) are in the church on the Easter night. After the Easter Night Service, they kiss each other three times in the morning twilight of the churchyard. At the same time, they say (girl): "Christ is risen", and (boy): "Truly, He is risen!" This innocent, traditional "Easter kiss" is actually their first kiss. Tolstoy writes: "There is a point in the love between man and woman when that love reaches its zenith; when it is free from consciousness, reason and sensuality. Such a moment arrived for Nekhludoff that Easter morn."

How beautifully written! God is love and where there is true love between two people, there is God in their midst.

Here is the Paschal greeting in 34 languages:

Albanian (Tosk): Krishti u ngjall! Vërtet u ngjall!
Arabic: المسيح قام! حقا قام!
Armenian: Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց՜ Օրհնեալ է Յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի՜
Belarusian: Хрыстос уваскрос! Сапраўды ўваскрос!
Bulgarian: Христос възкръсна! Наистина възкръсна!
Chinese: 基督复活了！确实复活了！
Croatian: Krist uskrsnu! Uistinu uskrsnu!
Czech: Kristus je vzkříšen! Vskutku je vzкříšen!
Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
English: Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Estonian: Kristus on üles tõusnud! Tõesti, Ta on üles tõusnud!
Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totisesti nousi!
French: Le Christ est ressuscité! Vraiment Il est ressuscité!
Georgian: ქრისტე აღსდგა! ჭეშმარიტად აღსდგა!
German: Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!
Greek: Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ανέστη!
Hebrew: המשיח קם! באמת קם!‎
Hindustani: येसु मसीह ज़िन्दा हो गया है! हाँ यक़ीनन, वोह ज़िन्दा हो गया है!
Hungarian: Krisztus feltámadt! Valóban feltámadt!
Italian: Cristo è risorto! È veramente risorto!
Japanese: ハリストス復活！実に復活！
Lithuanian: Kristus prisikėlė! Tikrai prisikėlė!
Macedonian: Христос воскресна! Навистина воскресна!
Norwegian: Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig oppstanden!
Polish: Chrystus zmartwychwstał! Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!
Portuguese: Cristo ressuscitou! Em verdade ressuscitou!
Romanian: Hristos a înviat! Adevărat a înviat!
Russian: Христос Воскресе! Воистину Воскресе!
Serbian: Христос васкрсе! Ваистину васкрсе!
Slovak: Kristus z mŕtvych vstal! Skutočne z mŕtvych vstal!
Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente, ha resucitado!
Swedish: Kristus är uppstånden! Ja, Han är verkligen uppstånden!
Turkish: İsa dirildi! Hakikaten dirildi!
Ukrainian: Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес!

My home church where I attended the Easter Midnight
Mass. Both my parents' funeral services has been held
in the same place. This church is build in 1827 by Russian
state (at the time, Finland was a part of Russian Empire).

From Desert into Garden

I'm not an actual poet, but from time to time I like to try to express my heart and thoughts with poetry. Poetry is the shortest and most succinct form of literary art, not so easy literature but not also too difficult if we just allow freedom to our spirit. Poetry does not need to be too regimented. There are many "schools" in poetry, but style can be also completely free. The most important thing is thought or feeling, and they are universal issues regardless the language.

My poem is written in a quite classical style including the rhymes. In this poem, I used Biblical metaphors and symbols, such words like desert, garden, thirst, and bowl. So, by knowing something about the Biblical usage, you can understand the meaning of my poem. For example, "the sun" is a symbol of Christ in the Bible, but we humans can also see Christ in each other (The Gospel According to Matthew 25:37-40). Similarly, we can sometimes be an angels ("messengers of God") to each other.

Thanks to my friend for the Russian translation.

From Desert into Garden

In the heart of the desert, in the heat of the day,

all alone I was dying of thirst and lost my way.

A humble angel came and filled my empty bowl,

she was wounded for my sake to restore my soul.

Now she is the sun whom my planet is revolving around,

in the heart of the desert is a sacred garden I have found.

Teisuka (12th of March, 2013)

A direct Russian translation by Gilmore:

Из пустыни в сад

В сердце пустыни, в жаре дня,

в одиночку я умер от жажды и потерял мой путь.

Безропотный ангел приехала и наполнила мою чашу,

она получила рану для меня, спасти мою душу.

Сейчас она солнце, й планета моя о ней вращать,

в сердце пустыни есть священное сад, которого я нашёл.

In the Eastern Orthodox Liturgy

Me praying in the Orthodox Church (Vaasa, 2012).
This is so called Memorial Table (Finnish: vainajien
muistelupöytä, Russian: канун). At that time, I
prayed for my dead mother. Photo by Gilmore.

On Sunday morning, I took part in Eastern Orthodox Liturgy called The Veneration of the Cross (Finnish: Ristinkumartamisen sunnuntai, Russian: Крестопоклонная). It is a part of the Great Lent (Finnish: Suuri paasto, Russian: Великий пост) and is celebrated on the third Sunday. The veneration comes on this day because it is the midpoint of the forty days of Great Lent.

Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the fasting season, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter, or Pascha in the Orthodox Church (Finnish: Pääsiäinen, Russian: Пасх).

"Have mercy on us, O God…" These words were repeated over and over again in the Liturgy. And these are some Bible verses sung in the Liturgy:

"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s shall save it. For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? For what should a man give in exchange for his life?" (Christ's words in The Gospel of Mark 8:34-37.)

"Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need." (The Epistle to the Hebrews 4:14-16.)

During the Liturgy, the priest brought the cross out into the center of the church, where it was venerated by the clergy and faithful. Finally, everyone kissed the cross. Very beautiful and touching event. After Liturgy, I lighted two candles and I prayed especially for three persons (one of them was in surgery last Friday). Then I had a private talk with the priest.

This was a very special day for me, and I felt God's guidance. Actually, when I look back in my life, I can recognize the Divine providence here and there along the way... I have been interested in Eastern Christianity since my mother's death in July 2011. Frankly, I am more than just interested. I feel this beautiful religion brings me a peace and light.

✿⊱╮ ✿⊱╮ ✿⊱╮✿⊱╮✿⊱╮✿⊱╮✿⊱╮

The photo in this article is taken last summer in Vaasa. Yesterday, I had no camera with me. The video below is made by my friend Nika for two years ago. It contains an Orthodox Christian chanting. I recommend you to listen to it. Very beautiful and peaceful sacred music, which calms down our restless mind. Thank you, Nika, that I can use your lovely video again. Be blessed, my dear friend.

Blessings to everyone! :)

Greetings from cold (-18 °C) and snowy Finland,

Teisuka