The spectacular resurrection in Chios with the “flying” priest – Video

With great splendor and emotion, the First Resurrection was celebrated at the Holy Church of Panagia Evangelistria in Chios, sending waves of excitement through the faithful who filled the church on the morning of Holy Saturday.

The climax of the Great Vespers was accompanied by a spectacular and characteristic expression of joy: the attending faithful, with rhythmic knocking on the pews and to the sound of the bells, echoed the joyful message of Christ’s victory over death.

“Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You shall inherit among all nations,” chanted the church’s priest, Fr. Christoforos Gourlis, with deep reverence, giving the signal for the peak of the ceremony. Immediately afterward, the chandeliers began to sway, while the semantra and the pews resonated with the rhythmic beats of the faithful.

In a setting of total participation and symbolic intensity, the priest scattered bay leaves—symbols of victory and eternal life—throughout the church. The images were striking: the chandeliers swayed as if in an earthquake, and emotion reached its peak, with all those present actively taking part in the ritual.

As reported by Politischios.gr, this Resurrection scene is found in several churches across the country, but in Chios, with its particularly intense participation, it carries a strong symbolic meaning. It is linked to the breaking of the bonds of Hades by the resurrected Christ—an image of spiritual and cosmic upheaval, expressed through noise, intensity, and collective participation.