And I will leave all worldly matters to care...

      And I will leave all worldly matters to the care...

      Yesterday, 22:23 | Anastasia Karataeva

      The Divine Liturgy under the scorching sun, a sea of believers at the temples, and the feeling that time has stopped — read about how the main day of the Velikoretsky Cross Procession went in our report from the scene.

      Photo: Newsler.ru

      The day before, on June 5, the cross procession arrived in the village of Velikoretskoe — the main point of the multi-day journey. In 2026, the pilgrims covered about 80 km from Kirov two hours faster than usual: if earlier the column was met at 18:00, this time it was already at 16:00. According to the regional government, 37,000 people came to the morning service on June 6 by the riverbank.

      Service at the ancient walls

      The main events started at 10 o'clock. The Liturgy by the river was led by Metropolitan Alexander of Kazakhstan and Astana, assisted by Metropolitan Mark of Vyatka and Slobodsky along with other clergy. At one point, the crowd closed in so tightly that it was simply impossible to exit — a huge "dense" wall of humanity. It is difficult to convey in words the power and grandeur that even silenced the birds and stilled the wind. The choir sang, the priests read prayers, and praised Nicholas the Wonderworker.

      Seeing the love and all-consuming devotion with which people, despite complete exhaustion, stood in unbearable heat after three days of a difficult journey, and hungry, continued to serve God — one involuntarily pushes aside one's "unbelief," cloaked in logic, to the background and succumbs to the atmosphere of absolute tranquility. At the moment of the liturgy, it seems that the Earth would rather fall out of orbit than anything go wrong. The faith of all those present is so strong that it envelops everything around in a dome of kindness and calm.

      During the services, people cried, fell to their knees, bowed, and crossed themselves.

      Among the official attendees, one could notice the First Deputy Minister of Internal Policy Stanislav Kurshakov and the Chairman of the Regional Duma Roman Beresnev. However, the governor and other representatives of the "higher" local authorities likely preferred the "whole religious lyricism" of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

      Confession and a gift to the land of Vyatka

      At the back of the courtyard of the Chapel of Nicholas the Wonderworker (where the services were held), pilgrims went to confession to receive communion afterward. At the end of the liturgy, a significant event occurred — Metropolitan Alexander presented the Kirov church with an icon of the Prophet Elijah.

      Immediately after this, the clergy began to conduct communion. To partake in this sacrament, one must not have breakfast. Combined with the scorching sun and the huge crowd, this led to many fainting. But the "bodies" of those who could not walk on their own were carried by other pilgrims. The faces of those who received communion were literally covered for a moment with a veil of absolute piety and holiness.

      Blessing of the water and a lively fair

      After communion, the icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker was carried to the Great River to bless the water, and then to the spring. Swimming in the river itself is prohibited, but those wishing to dip could do so in specially designated areas under strict control of the security services.

      When the relic was raised, most dispersed in different directions: many left with a sense of duty fulfilled, many stayed for the fair, but the overwhelming majority decided to linger to continue their difficult journey back to Kirov the next day.

      Speaking of the fair... Every year during the cross procession, a real trading town with a hundred stalls operates in the village. There is literally everything — from mobile operators to clay pots and puppets. Prices, of course, are not "heavenly" everywhere, but fortunately, this time they were not as steep as a few years ago. The most popular stalls turned out to be those with food: shashlik, pies, manti — dishes for every taste and color. Even trendy bubble tea could be tried. An endless stream of pilgrims surged towards them. I must honestly admit, at that moment, I looked at the sellers with great sympathy. I couldn't try anything — standing in those lines was beyond my strength after a three-hour service, so I won't comment on the taste, but I didn't hear any complaints about the food and drinks.

      They have a long road ahead

      The main celebrations are behind. This evening (from 17:00) an all-night vigil was held at the Transfiguration Church, and tomorrow the pilgrims face a long road back.

      June 7, Sunday:

      01:00 — moleben with akathist to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Nikolsky Church of the Velikoretsky Courtyard.

      02:00 — departure of the Cross Procession from Velikoretskoe.

      13:00 — meeting of the Cross Procession in the village of Medyany. Canon for the Velikoretsky Icon.

      15:00 — departure of the Cross Procession from Medyany.

      17:00 — meeting of the Cross Procession in the village of Murygino and moleben at the Exaltation of the Cross Church.

      In conclusion, I can say that it is simply impossible to convey the palette of feelings experienced during the liturgy with words (unless you are Nabokov or Dostoevsky, but even that is something on a divine level). So it is better to see it with your own eyes at least once and perhaps even discover something in yourself or for yourself that is so lacking in everyday life — the feeling of unity with the people around you, a sense of belonging to something great, bright, and joyful, faith that everything will be alright and that the Lord will arrange everything.