Easter Vigil in Eastern Orthodoxy

Orthodox Icon of the Resurrection (14th cent. fresco, Chora Church, Istanbul).

In the Eastern Orthodox Church the service runs as follows with some minor local variations:

1. The Midnight Office is served on Holy Saturday shortly before midnight.
2. All the lights in the church are extinguished. A new fire is struck in the altar and distributed to the people. All the clergy and the people exit the church and process three times around it while singing a hymn.
3. Before the front doors of the church, ideally at the stroke of midnight, the chief celebrant gives the exclamation for the beginning of Matins. The clergy followed by the people sing the Paschal troparion and the Paschal greeting "Christ is risen!" "Truly He is risen!" is exchanged for the first time. To the singing of the troparion, everyone enters the church.
4. The rest of Matins is celebrated according to special Paschal rubrics.
5. The Paschal Hours are sung.
6. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated as usual, but with special features in commemoration of the feast.

The candles lit near the beginning are held by the people throughout the entire service, just as is done by the newly baptized. At some convenient moment, normally following Matins, the Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom is proclaimed. Following the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy blessed eggs dyed red are usually distributed to the people for the breaking of the fast, and baskets of food for the feast that follows are blessed with holy water. The service is generally finished by about 3:00 a.m.

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