Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter
Orthodox Christians follow a different calendar and celebrate Easter a week later than some of their fellow believers. An estimated 260 million Orthodox Christians observed the religious holiday worldwide.
Following the Moon
The Orthodox calendar calculates Easter as the Sunday that follows the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. In Lithuania, all Orthodox Church buildings are directly subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.
Easter in Russia
In Russia, which is home to one of the world's biggest Orthodox populations, festivities are held across the country to celebrate Easter. The head of the national Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, is seen here speaking to patients at a children's hospital in Moscow on Easter Sunday.
'Holy Fire' ceremony in Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, pilgrims brought candles to Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday for an annual ritual dating back 1,200 years that marks the resurrection of Christ. The church was built on the site where Jesus' body is believed to have been buried.
Good Friday ceremonies
Sunday's events, which commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, came two days after Orthodox Christians marked Good Friday, which commemorates Jesus' crucifixion and death. The lowering of Christ's dead body from the cross forms a key part of Orthodox Easter. This service was held in Greece, where millions of Orthodox Christians live.
Somber processions
Good Friday is a solemn day in the Orthodox Christian calendar. Every city, village and island observes traditions that run through the day from early morning until an epitaph procession in the evening. In Greece, Easter is the most important religious celebration.