Thousands of faithful attend Easter vigils, but tens of thousands demonstrate against the government.

Moscow (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Russia celebrated Orthodox Easter amid religious ceremonies and anti-government protests.

On the night of April 30, some 5,000 faithful attended Easter vigil in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The service was celebrated by Aleksij II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov were present.

An hour before Midnight Mass, the sacred flame used in lighting candles during the service landed at Moscow's Vnukovo-1 International Airport. It was brought from Jerusalem by a delegation of the St Andrew Foundation, an organisation in charge of relations with the Orthodox Church outside Russia.

In his Easter message, Patriarch Aleksij II wished "health and happiness" to Orthodox Christians.

"Let the joy of the Easter holiday touch every heart. Let this joy give you strength and courage to withstand all hardships and troubles," the Patriarch said in his address.

Before the service, he met political leaders, including President Putin and expressed the hope that "the joy of the Lord's Resurrection will guide you in the task of serving our people".

Putin addressed on television Orthodox believers and all Russian citizens, wishing them "happiness, peace and prosperity."

"Easter," he stressed, "has truly become a nationwide holiday, which is celebrated in Russia on a large scale".

The Russian Orthodox Church, all but banned under the Soviet Union, has experienced a major resurgence since 1991, with an estimated two-thirds of Russia's Orthodox believed to be observant in a country of some 143 million people.

Orthodox Easter, which follows the Julian calendar, coincided this year with May Day. Numerous demonstrations took place across Russia in which participants vented their dissatisfaction with the government.

About 20,000 trade union members marched in the streets of Moscow, demanding the minimum wage be brought up to minimal living costs.

Left-wing parties nostalgic for the Soviet period, such as the nationalist Rodina (Motherland) Party, gathered thousands for demonstrations in the far eastern city of Vladivostok and in the Siberian cities of Omsk and Krasnoyarsk, calling for the restoration of the Soviet regime and railing against Putin's policies.

Among such policies, many in Russia are complaining about the proposed replacement of many Soviet-era benefits with cash payments

Furthermore, Moscow's Mayor Yury Luzhkov accused the government of failing to support the real economy and turning the country "into a mere source of raw materials for the West".

"For the past 15 years, the government has been pursuing a policy that might be described this way: struggle for your survival on your own, and we'll go on raising obstacles for you," Luzhkov said.

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• 2005
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