Christians on Long Island celebrate Easter

As Christians across Long Island readied themselves for Easter Saturday, parishioners at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in East Meadow gathered in the church's basement for their own Lenten ceremony.

Members took their first steps toward ending their more than 40-day fast from meat and dairy products at a 3 p.m. blessing of paschal baskets.

Dozens of church members brought the foods they had denied themselves in woven baskets that were blessed by the Rev. Martin Kraus, the church's pastor.

More than a dozen baskets filled with butter, eggs, cakes, and other goodies sat on long tables. Kraus, dressed an embroidered gown and aided by three altar servers, said a prayer to begin the ceremony. Church members sang hymns and clasped their hands in reverence.

Kraus then swung a censer filled with incense and continued praying. Later, he walked around the long tables and sprinkled holy water on the food and baskets.

Holy Trinity and other Orthodox Christian churches celebrated Easter at an evening-to-early-morning service, from 11:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.

At the end of the service, church members were to break their Lenten fast with communion and then with meats and dairy products, he said.

"It's about reflecting on what Christ has done for us," Kraus said.

In Mineola, dozens of Nassau County employees and their families gathered on the lawn of the Theodore Roosevelt Legislative and Executive Building for a two-hour Easter egg hunt hosted by Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano.

Boisterous children of all ages ran about searching for eggs hidden in bushes, placed on stairs, and left in plain sight. Parents warned their children not to run, jump or push.

The day featured everything from face paint and potato sack races to sweet chocolates and bags of salty popcorn.

The Easter Bunny, dressed in a vest and walking among the crowd, posed for pictures with willing kids.