A Creative Festival Dedicated to the Bright Feast of Christ’s Resurrection Held in Almaty

April 27, 2025 – Almaty. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a Paschal Festival was held on the square in front of the Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) Spiritual, Cultural, and Administrative Center of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan.

The event was organized by the Department of Culture of the Metropolitan District (headed by Honored Cultural Worker L.E. Goricheva) and the public organization Russky Dom, with the support of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in the Southern Capital.

One of the main objectives of the festival was to promote traditional spiritual and moral values in society.

The festive program brought together clergy and parishioners of the Almaty Diocese; students of parish Sunday schools; and members of the artistic and intellectual community.

The event opened with a performance by the choir of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Almaty – laureate of international and national sacred music competitions – under the direction of Olga Usoltseva. The choir sang hymns dedicated to the Feast of Pascha.

The festival was hosted by students of the city’s Central Sunday School.

Attendees were shown a video greeting from the Head of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

Following this, the keymaster of the Ascension Cathedral and head of the Metropolitan District’s Public Relations Department, Protopriest Alexander Suvorov, addressed those gathered with a Paschal greeting and spoke about the purpose of the festival.

Awards were then presented to the winners of the Almaty regional stage of the II All-Kazakhstan Church Readers’ Competition “In the Beginning Was the Word…”, and results were announced for the “Paschal Bell Chimes” bell-ringing festival.

Video greetings were also sent to the participants by Archbishop Barnabas of Pavlodar and Ekibastuz; Archbishop Vladimir of Petropavlovsk and Bulaevo; Bishop Ignatius of Aktobe and Kyzylorda; and Bishop Chrysanth of Shymkent and Turkestan.

As part of the celebration, creative workshops and performances by musical groups from the Southern Capital were held for children and adults alike. The Easter card-making workshop proved especially popular, with prizes awarded for participants’ creations.

A fair was also held on the monastery grounds, where visitors could purchase kulich, paskha, painted eggs, honey, fresh produce from local homesteads, and delicacies from the monastery kitchen.

At the conclusion of the festival, all who wished were invited to ascend the bell tower of the Sophia Cathedral and ring the bells in keeping with the joyful Paschal tradition.