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Observing Easter around the globe

Published:Monday | April 9, 2012 | 12:00 AM
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A Christian worshipper holds his daughter to a mosaic inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the burial site of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem's Old City, yesterday.
In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful after the Urbi and Orbi blessing at the end of the Easter Mass in St Peter's Square at the Vatican yesterday. - see full caption at the end of story.
Pakistani Christians attend Easter Mass in a church in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday.
An Indian Christian worshipper yawns during prayers on Easter Sunday at St Mary's Garrison church in Jammu, India.
Pakistani Christians attend Easter Mass in a church in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday.
A crowd gathers in front of Home Moravian Church on Salem Square in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the Easter sunrise service yesterday.
The Reverend John Jackman leads the Easter sunrise service yesterday. The annual service begins in front of Home Moravian Church on Salem Square in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and concludes in God's Acre, the Salem Moravian Graveyard.
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Christians across the world yesterday celebrated Easter, the faith's most joyous holy day. At the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the flower-adorned steps of St Peter's Basilica before a crowd that swelled to far beyond 100,000.

"May the risen Christ grant hope to the Middle East and enable all the ethnic, cultural and religious groups in that region to work together," the Pope said.

In Jerusalem, thousands crowded into one of Christianity's holiest churches to worship. In Britain, Queen Elizabeth II attended a traditional Easter service with three generations of the royal family at Windsor Castle.

And in the US, Moravians in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, gathered for the 240th annual sunrise service in the city - one of the oldest and possibly the largest Easter sunrise services in the nation.

Here's a look at the day's rites and rituals in photos.

Full Caption

In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful after the Urbi and Orbi blessing at the end of the Easter Mass in St Peter's Square at the Vatican yesterday. Pope Benedict XVI in his Easter Sunday message has urged the Syrian regime to heed international calls to end bloodshed and commit to dialogue. After celebrating Mass in St Peter's Square, Benedict voiced hope that Easter's joy would comfort Christian communities suffering because of recent terrorist attacks. - AP photos