Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter at Midnight Mass

1. Wide of priests bringing the "Holy Fire" into the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
2. Mid of head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, lighting torch with Holy Fire brought from Jerusalem, lights at the cathedral turning on, zoom out of Kirill joining other members of the clergy in procession, pan right
3. Mid of worshippers with candles
4. Wide of procession of members of the clergy, Kirill holding incensor, UPSOUND (Russian) Patriarch Kirill: "Jesus Christ Has Risen Today!", worshippers repeating same words, pan left of procession and zoom in to Kirill swinging incensor
5. Wide of Patriarch Kirill swinging incensor, UPSOUND (Russian) Patriarch Kirill: "Jesus Christ Has Risen Today!", worshippers repeating same words
6. Wide of worshippers making sign of the cross
7. More of Patriarch Kirill and members of the clergy holding candles
8. Wide of Russian President Vladimir Putin walking up steps, followed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with his wife Svetlana and Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin
9. Wide of Mass
10. Worshippers attending Mass
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Yelena (surname not given), Moscow resident, worshipper:
"It is a joy for me, happiness, renovation of life. It is like New Year's day for an ordinary person."
12. Wide of worshippers and members of the clergy after Mass
STORYLINE:
Hundreds of people gathered in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in central Moscow on Sunday for Easter Mass led by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.
The service lasted several hours, well into the early hours of Sunday.
Patriarch Kirill entered the cathedral and symbolically lit a torch with so-called Holy Fire brought from Jerusalem, as the cathedral lights were turned on.
The Holy Fire ritual, celebrated in Jerusalem the day before the Orthodox Easter, honours the belief that a Holy Fire appears spontaneously from Jesus' tomb as a message that he has not forgotten his followers.
The ritual dates back at least 1,200 years, and the precise details of the flame's source are a closely guarded secret.
The Holy Fire was brought to Moscow on a special flight from Jerusalem, but it was delayed due to bad weather in the Russian capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his wife, and Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin also attended the service.
Russian Orthodox Easter is being celebrated throughout Russia and at tens of thousands of Russian Orthodox churches across the world.
For Russian Orthodox Christians, Easter is their main religious celebration.
Orthodox Christians follow the old, Julian calendar, so mark Easter this Sunday, whereas Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations that observe the new, Gregorian calendar, held their Easter celebrations at the end of March this year.



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