Nazarbayev attends Easter service in Uspensky Cathedral

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Uspensky Cathedral, Kazakhstan’s major orthodox church, on Easter Sunday, Tengrinews.kz reports. “Dear fellow-countrymen, the whole Orthodox world is celebrating the most important holiday, the Easter, today. The Easter symbolizes renewal and rebirth and is important to our country that is reviving and becoming a better place, a new country where people of different ethnic groups and religious confessions live peacefully together. Thanks to the trust and unity of all the Kazakhstan people, we can live in accord, build our country and provide will our own well-being and that of our children,” the President said addressing Orthodox Christians. Nazarbayev congratulated the people on the great holiday and noted that Kazakhstan and Russia were a good example of friendship and trust relationship between neighboring countries. “The citizens of our countries are celebrating all important holidays together. We have a new mosque and a new Orthodox cathedral build in Astana. We are building the country of working people who provide for their well-being by their own labor. The country’s main mission lays in providing employment and opportunities to every citizen. Kazakhstan citizens confidently look into the future,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said. Head of Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan, his Beatitude Alexander, the Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan, gave Nursultan Nazarbayev an Easter egg as a sign of respect. “One of the important figures of Orthodox Christianity, Mary Magdalene is said to have presented an Easter egg to Roman emperor Tiberius as a sign of her faith. With a deep respect I would like to present you with this Orthodox sign made by one of the best artists of Russia,” Metropolitan Alexander said. The Orthodox worship service continued with a ceremony of the Holy Fire that was carried a symbol of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The Holy Fire is delivered to Kazakhstan every year before the Easter's Great Vespers by pilgrims who visit Jerusalem for Great Saturday. The event is usually broadcast live in Greece, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Cyprus, Lebanon and Egypt. On May 4 Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated Kazakhstan’s Orthodox Christians on the Easter. “I sincerely congratulate all the Orthodox Christians on the holy and gracious holiday of the Easter! All the citizens of our multi-confessional country, regardless of their faith and ethnic origin, share the joy of this important religious holiday uniting in the celebratory spirit,” the President said. By Nazymgul Kumyspayeva