Select a region
A St. Saviour Deputy has said she hopes Howard Davis Park can be used more frequently for different types of community events after successfully organising the second ever outdoor Midnight Mass there for the Romanian Orthodox community.
More than 300 people gathered in Howard Davis Park on Saturday in celebration of Orthodox Easter.
The gates opened at 23:00 and service started at 00:00, concluding around 1am on Sunday morning.
The Orthodox Easter celebration is held later than other denominations, as the Orthodox Church calculates the holiday by a different calendar. While other Christian denominations calculate the date of Easter by the Gregorian Calendar, while Orthodox Churches continue to use the older Julian calendar.
Most of those in attendance were Romanian nationals. However, there were some Greek and Russian nationals.
Pictured: The Orthodox Easter Midnight Mass took place last Saturday in Howard Davis Park.
This is the second time the Mass has been held in Howard Davis Park. In 2021, around 250 people gathered for the Mass.
As there is no permanent Romanian Orthodox priest on the island, these Masses can only take place when one is available to come over from the UK.
Deputy Raluca Kovacs, who organised the event and is a Romanian national herself, said: "The Orthodox community that attended the event, was very pleased to have the Bailiff's Chambers supporting with access to the park at midnight, sounding system and staff on-hand on the premises. This allowed us to feel closer to home in celebrating Easter together."
She added: "We hope to be able to hold at least the Easter celebration there again, but possibly other community events as well, depending on the occasion and who's available."
The successful evening event follows the Dreaming Trees initiative, which saw Howard Davis Park's trees light up every evening over the course of a week, attracting thousands of visitors.
Pictured: The Dreaming Trees illuminations at Howard Davis Park.
It's now hoped that the event can be repeated annually.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.