On the eve of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the All-Night Vigil at the main church of the Southern capital

4 April 2026, in the evening, on the eve of the great Twelve Great Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the All-Night Vigil at the Ascension Cathedral of the city of Alma-Ata.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral of Alma-Ata, Head of the District’s Department for Public Relations Archpriest Alexander Suvorov and the cathedral clergy.

The hymns were performed by the choir of the Metropolitan District (regent – Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; choirmaster – V. Dudareva) and the choir of the Ascension Cathedral (regent – E. Boguslavets).

Praying at the vigil was the president of the public foundation “Eleos-Meirim” V.M. Kapsamun.

At Great Vespers, according to the liturgical Typikon, a litiya (augmented supplication) was served with the blessing of bread, wine, wheat and oil.

At Matins, after the reading of the Gospel pericope, Metropolitan Alexander performed the rite of blessing of the palms – branches of willow and pussy willow, in remembrance of the solemn entry of the King of Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem for His voluntary Passion. During the reading of Psalm 50, the archpastor censed the branches, read the prayer for their blessing: “O Lord our God, who sittest upon the Cherubim…”, and then sprinkled the branches brought by the faithful with holy water, pronouncing the words: “These palms are blessed by the sprinkling of this holy water, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

After the blessing of the palms, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan addressed the faithful with a sermon, in which he spoke about the spiritual meaning and significance of each of the days of the coming Holy Week.

The use of palms, together with lighted candles, at the All-Night Vigil of Palm Sunday, according to the testimony of the fathers and teachers of the Church, dates back to ancient times. The green branches serve as a sign of the Savior’s victory over death and of the Resurrection of Christ.

During the reading of the canon of the feast “The springs of the abyss appeared, untouched by waters…”, the faithful were anointed with blessed oil.

On the day of the feast itself, Metropolitan Alexander will preside at the Divine Liturgy at the Ascension Cathedral of the city of Alma-Ata. The beginning is at 8:30.