site.btaBulgarian Orthodox Christians in Hamburg Celebrate Easter at St Cyril and St Methodius Orthodox Church

Bulgarian Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter at the Orthodox Church of St Cyril and St Methodius in Hamburg, Germany, philologist, poet and journalist Hristina Vacheva, who lives in Hamburg, told BTA on Tuesday.

At midnight, Yakov Sturm, rector of the Bulgarian Cyril and Methodius parish, served Easter Liturgy at the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of the same name, with the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony, who leads the Diocese of Western and Central Europe. The church was filled with believers who greeted the Holy Fire. The lights in the church were extinguished and the Orthodox believers followed the priest’s lit candle. With burning candles in their hands, they walked around the church three times. The solemn “Christ Is Risen” and the ringing of the church bells marked the beginning of the liturgy.

On Sunday, April 20, the traditional festive Great Vespers Service prolonged the joy of Easter. The Gospel was read in various languages, emphasizing the universal message of the Resurrection. The melodious chants of the parish choir created an atmosphere of reflection and spiritual purification. Father Sturm blessed the colored eggs, the kozunak (sweet bread), and the wine, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ, and called on the believers to preserve the joy of the holiday “even through the most difficult trials.” The festivity ended with the traditional egg tapping contest, in the words of Vacheva, this united “young and old in the Easter hope for new life.”

The Bulgarian parish in Hamburg has existed since 2018, when it rented an unused Protestant church in the Eilbek district for 30 years and converted it to Orthodox. Since then, the St Cyril and St Methodius Church has been a spiritual home for Bulgarians in the city. They gather in the temple for services, holidays and cultural initiatives, keeping the connection with Orthodox tradition and native roots alive.