Why We Love the Short Hours of Pascha
If you've ever spent time in an Orthodox church during Bright Week, you know the hours of pascha bring a completely different energy to the room. After forty days of fasting and a very intense Holy Week filled with long, somber services, everything suddenly flips. The lights are all on, the dark purple vestments are replaced by bright white or gold, and the prayers—usually long and filled with many repetitions of "Lord have mercy"—get replaced by something much faster, much shorter, and much more joyful. ...