The paschal celebration of the most holy and radiant night, which was doubled the next day in Rajčica, in the glorious Monastery of the Trophy-Bearer with the commemoration of his illustrious memory, yesterday moved to the beautiful town of Struga. There, through the triumphant and festive Procession (Eordia) through the streets of Struga, it once again proclaimed Christ’s victory over death and the eternal glory of His witness to the Resurrection – Saint George.
Truly, the atmosphere felt there—the warmth of the smiles, the power of the resounding “Christ is Risen” from all sides, the joy of the cheerful children dressed in colorful traditional costumes resembling playful flower petals greeting the Procession; the grace of the holy relics of the Martyr, his ancient icon, as well as the Icon of the Theotokos from Krnin, the splendid image of the floral canopy as a fitting adornment for the fragrant relics, and the radiant faces of the countless faithful—all testified that today Struga has truly risen! Rightly did the people of Struga rejoice with this paschal greeting from the heavens. It was truly a wonderful visit, to which they, along with the holy hierarchs: Metropolitan Timotej of Debar and Kičevo, Bishop David of Dremvica, and our Elder Bishop Partenij of Antania, and with the many guests who came from all over, responded with all their hearts, with all their love for the Risen God and His Saint. With what reverence the distinguished citizens: Jovan Jauleski, Cvetko Avramovski, Viktor Kočoski, and Simon Grdanoski—carried the flower-adorned Canopy on which the relics of the Saint were majestically placed, blessing every corner of the city from above, gleaming in the sun. Those honored to carry his venerable icon were: Goce Ilcheski, Aleksandar Kiteski, Boško Karadakoski, and Tanče Spiroski. The river of people following them could not help but be delighted by the wondrous grace emanating from the holy relics, and no heart remained indifferent to such a beautiful scene that elevated them to the heavens. As in previous years, the Procession concluded where it began – in the spacious courtyard of the church of St. George, which was nonetheless too small to contain the vast crowd. There, the attendees were further delighted by the harmonious voices of the “Orthodox Youth” from Vranishta – Struga, Vranishta Parish, as well as the performance by members of the Cultural Artistic Society “Biser” from Kičevo.
