Orthodox Easter Day, also known as Resurrection Sunday, is considered the most meaningful and holy season in the Orthodox faith. This holiday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as described in the New Testament of the Bible. In Serbia, an Eastern Orthodox Christian country, Orthodox Easter Day is a significant celebration filled with deeply rooted traditions and customs.
In the week leading up to Orthodox Easter Sunday, Serbian people participate in a series of religious rituals known as the Holy Week. These rituals include attending additional liturgies and alter the focus on the final stages of Jesus Christ’s life, his death, and subsequent resurrection. The Midnight Office, a solemn service on Easter Sunday just before midnight, segues into joyous celebrations as the church clocks strike twelve signaling Christ's resurrection. The priest announces the 'Christ is Risen' scramble, to which people respond with 'Truly, He is Risen'.
Following the church procedures, rejoicing continues with significant feasts at home, where families and friends gather to break their Lenten fast. The traditional Serbian Easter menus include dishes like lamb, Easter bread, and red-dyed eggs, symbolizing the blood of Christ. Red eggs are often cracked against each other in a custom known as 'egg tapping', a game where the person whose egg remains uncracked the longest is declared the winner and said to have a year of good luck. Orthodox Easter Day is a major celebration in Serbia, a time of prayer, joyous gatherings, and lavish feasts.