Passover

Greece is preparing for a muted Orthodox Easter this year after the authorities strictly forbade the traditional spirited celebrations of mass church attendance, firecrackers and large family gatherings.

Greece is not a police state and the government is relying on the "power of persuasion" to convince citizens that restricting their movements over the Easter holiday in particular is the best way to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Tuesday.

The Catholic and the Armenian Church celebrate on Sunday, April 12, the largest Christian holiday of the Resurrection of Christ.

The discrepancy with the Orthodox Christians, for which Easter is a week later, is due to the different calendar. Orthodox follow the Julian calendar, and the Catholics - the Gregorian.

He stated that the decision on this, as well as on behavior during Orthodox Easter, will be made by epidemiologists and experts together with those in charge.

This year's Easter celebration will be pain-ridden and different for the entire Christian world, but the final tidings will be the same - "Christ Is Risen!," writes Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest Aurel Perca in his Easter Pastoral Letter.

Food stores in Greece will open on Orthodox Palm Sunday (April 12) from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to facilitate customers who want to buy their supplies for Easter, following a decision by Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis.

In a Pesach message, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban says that he is counting on the wise contribution of the members of the Jewish communities in Romania in the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts to contain it.

Turkey's president sent Passover greetings on April 8 to the country's Jewish community.

"On the occasion of Passover, I would like to emphasize once again that mutual love and respect in society is the foundation of peace and tranquility," said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday sent a message for Passover, in which he voiced his appreciation for the manner in which the Jewish communities have been acting during this time.

In its message for this year's Pessach (Passover), the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) on Tuesday extended its wishes to healthcare professionals and those who have contracted Covid-19.

"Our thoughts are with our fellow citizens who are sick and we pray so that God helps them 'pass over' from the loneliness of pain to the joy of life," KIS said in a press release.