How Lazarus Saturday is celebrated in Cyprus

St. Lazarus Church, Lamaca

Tomb of St. Lazarus

Lazarus Saturday before Palm Sunday, Saturday of the sixth week of Great Lent. On this day, the Orthodox Church remembers the miracle of the resurrection of Christ by the righteous Lazarus.

Lazarus Saturday is especially dear to the residents of Larnaca (the third largest city in Cyprus), because Saint Lazarus is the patron saint of their city.

In the center of Larnaca stands the Agios Lazaros temple, known to every Cypriot and every guest of Cyprus, that is, a temple built in honor of St. Lazarus. It still houses a stone sarcophagus in which Lazarus was once buried.

According to the tradition, children on Lazarus Saturday in Cyprus gather in groups of several people and go around the houses in the neighborhood, inviting everyone to listen to the hymn in honor of St. Lazarus. The anthem ends with the words: “May the Mother of God, Christ and St. Lazarus help you!” Previously, singing could still be accompanied by a small theatrical act, when one of the young artists portrayed the dead Lazarus, whom Christ returns to life. They chose the most beautiful little boy in the neighborhood, who got the main role of Lazarus. He was laid on a bedspread decorated in flowers in a separate room of the temple.

The reading of the Gospel began, and then, after the words of Christ “Lazarus! Come out! ”, The main character of the show rose, thus symbolizing resurrection.

Women sprinkled him with holy water and put some bread and wine in his mouth. Following this, the performance of the solemn hymn in honor of the saint began. And the holiday ended with a small treat - baked with traditional spicy cookies "lazarakia", resembling a human figure, which was served to all participants and all assembled spectators.

On Lazarus Saturday, palm wreaths are certainly woven and decorated with flowers: beautiful gladioli and yellow daisies. Two thousand years separate us from that time, but the events of the past have not lost their significance today. And the memory of the holy man named Lazarus is carefully preserved in the hearts of the descendants - those to whom he once brought the light of Christianity.