Orthodox and Eastern Rite Christians in Ukraine celebrated Easter on April 7 and 8, one week later than the holiday celebrated by believers in Western churches. On the evening before Easter Sunday, a church delegation brought the Holy Fire, a flame lit at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to the cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv. RFE/RL Ukrainian Service photographer Serhiy Nuzhenko shared these photographs of the ceremony.
Ukrainian Christians Celebrate Easter With 'Holy Fire'
![Children wait for the Holy Fire, a flame lit in Jerusalem and passed from candle to candle, to arrive at the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/43c3521b-5015-4c96-bf29-fe9256cbc2ad_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Children wait for the Holy Fire, a flame lit in Jerusalem and passed from candle to candle, to arrive at the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Kyiv.
![The Holy Fire is said to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/ca5a870b-08c8-443a-8a9e-45e258eda178_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The Holy Fire is said to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/333bbf79-87cd-4f37-9cdc-61515d2e4434_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![After believers' candles are lit, they recite a prayer, followed by a midnight procession around the cathedral. ](https://gdb.rferl.org/1e8bbd77-44fc-4643-8703-6f591f0fa26e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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After believers' candles are lit, they recite a prayer, followed by a midnight procession around the cathedral.
![Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends the Easter procession with his family, accompanied by Patriarch Filaret, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a19d37b8-23ab-4343-a3b9-bb012c16b24e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends the Easter procession with his family, accompanied by Patriarch Filaret, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate.
![President Poroshenko and his wife Maryna observe the ceremony.](https://gdb.rferl.org/687d68d7-723e-4370-8d1b-f429677eb212_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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President Poroshenko and his wife Maryna observe the ceremony.
![U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch at the Easter service](https://gdb.rferl.org/76c69138-a02a-48d2-bc97-0a848bd99a6e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch at the Easter service
![Inside the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr](https://gdb.rferl.org/5222b8fd-82ce-4139-9c47-9ccd77fa9f12_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Inside the Cathedral of St. Volodymyr
![Patriarch Filaret leads the service.](https://gdb.rferl.org/0779e552-711a-4e71-856b-63bc7f3ca796_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Patriarch Filaret leads the service.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/08913dbc-999b-4b62-a6c2-24666e3e2b52_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![According to tradition, the Holy Fire emanates from the stone bed believed to be the spot where Jesus's body was placed for burial.](https://gdb.rferl.org/82deadbc-e2c5-41c0-bd03-c3047d71bf35_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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According to tradition, the Holy Fire emanates from the stone bed believed to be the spot where Jesus's body was placed for burial.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/f611f154-e34b-4751-aa2f-684f7681f4ac_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![A priest blesses Easter baskets, which traditionally include a type of bread called paska and decorated Easter eggs known as pysanky or krashanky.](https://gdb.rferl.org/02d2bc61-2fe6-4e7f-a091-4a26023501d7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A priest blesses Easter baskets, which traditionally include a type of bread called paska and decorated Easter eggs known as pysanky or krashanky.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/adbdcc76-7e8b-47bb-833e-0138745ebaa7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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