Bethlehem Orthodox Christians Celebrate Easter

This year, Orthodox Christians are celebrating Easter on Sunday.

The journey to Easter, also known as Pascha, began 40 days earlier, and includes fasting in preparation for the celebration of Jesus' ressurection on Easter Sunday.

Orthodox Christian Churches often see Easter as the most important day in the church calendar.

Children and teenagers from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Bethlehem prepared for Easter Sunday through a daylong retreat at the church on Friday that included crafts, chanting and lessons about the icons in the cathedral.

In Bethlehem, the Greek Orthodox Church will celebrate Easter with a special service that begins at 11 Saturday night and culminates with the ringing of the church bell at midnight to mark the ressurrection. St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church will hold a similar nighttime service.

Orthodox Christians set Easter Sunday based on the Julian calendar, while other Christian faiths use the Gregorian calendar to set the date. That's why Easter Sunday is sometimes celebrated on two different Sundays in spring.