In Pictures

In Pictures: Orthodox Christians observe Easter amid lockdown

More than 260 million people mark Easter Sunday, with worshippers asked to stay at home to avoid coronavirus spread.

Orthodox clergyman holds holy fire to transfer to predominantly Orthodox countries from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many Christians to be the site of the crucifixion an — The annual Holy Fire ceremony took place behind closed doors in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's old city. The flame was then taken to Orthodox countries worldwide. [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo]

More than 260 million Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter Sunday, with church leaders urging worshippers to stay at home to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus.

While many watched services online or on television, some sidestepped virus fears to attend churches on the most important date in the Orthodox calendar.

In Georgia, several hundred took part in a midnight mass at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral after the government allowed public attendance despite a nightly curfew aimed at curbing the virus.

Orthodox Christians, the world’s third largest group of Christian believers, this year celebrate Easter a week after Catholics and Protestants because they follow a different calendar.

Ethiopian Orthodox deacons sing during the Easter eve sermon at the Holy Trinity Cathedral amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 18, 2020. Picture taken April 1 — Ethiopian Orthodox deacons sing during the Easter eve sermon at the Holy Trinity Cathedral amid the coronavirus outbreak Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill conducts the service on the eve of the Orthodox Easter in his residence outside Moscow on April 18, 2020, during a strict lockdown in Russia to stop the spread of the — Russian Patriarch Kirill, who leads 150 million believers, held a service in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Church with no worshippers attending. [Sergei Zaikin/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service/AFP]

A smartphone broadcasts Easter Sunday mass, during a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, at the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria''s northern city of Aleppo on A — A smartphone broadcasts Easter Sunday mass, during a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, at the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria's northern city of Aleppo. [AFP]

Christos Efstathiou, his wife Evangelia and their four children watch the Greek Orthodox Easter procession on TV in their house, during a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COV — Christos Efstathiou, his wife Evangelia and their four children watch the Greek Orthodox Easter procession on TV in their house Athens, Greece. [Stamos Prousalis/Reuters]

A volunteer wearing a protective outfit distributes holy light in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 18, 2020. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the holy light ahead of the usual time, at — A volunteer wearing a protective outfit distributes holy light in Bucharest. Priests accompanied by volunteers distributed the holy light ahead of the usual time, at midnight, as people observed the interdiction to join religious celebrations in the week leading to the Orthodox Easter, imposed across Romania as authorities try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infections. [Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo]

Believers attend the Orthodox Easter service outside the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine April 18, 2020 — Believers attend the Orthodox Easter service outside the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine. [Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters]