Wollongong – The Serbian Orthodox Church of St John the Baptist in Wollongong celebrated Lazarus Saturday, known among the faithful as Vrbica, a feast commemorating the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany — the final miracle of Jesus Christ before Holy Week, his suffering, death, and resurrection. The feast is traditionally celebrated the day before Palm Sunday, and in the Serbian Orthodox Church, Vrbica is considered a children’s feast, as Christ, according to the Gospel, said upon entering Jerusalem: “Let the children come to me, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” After a procession around the church with palm branches, children were given small bells.
The following day, on Palm Sunday, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, attended by a large number of worshippers. The feast commemorates Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday has been celebrated since the earliest days of Christianity and was solemnly observed from the third century onwards. In Serbia, Palm Sunday is also a traditional folk holiday.
After Palm Sunday comes Holy Week, the strictest period of the Easter fast, dedicated to reflecting on the final days of Christ’s life, his suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection. For Orthodox Christians, Easter this year falls on 12 April, when a midnight Easter service will be held at our Wollongong church.