Easter isn't over for the Eastern Orthodox faithful. Many families travel to church tonight to celebrate Christ's resurrection.

The Easter or Pascha service will be a special one for the Rev. Marko Matic, a new priest at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville.

Matic, who previously had served as a priest in San Francisco, moved to Northwest Indiana from California to serve at St. Sava about a year ago.

"This will be the first time I will be conducting the service at this church on my own," he said.

The resurrection service at St. Sava starts at 11:30 p.m. and culminates at midnight when parishioners raise lit candles in a darkened room.

And, as is similar in Greek, Macedonian and Russian Eastern Orthodox churches throughout the area, parishioners will repeat, "Christ has risen. Indeed he has risen," he said.

"It's a rejoicing of God," Matic said.

Weather permitting, a part of the service will include a procession three times around the church by parishioners with their raised candles, he said.

The message Matic will be bringing to the congregation, some of which may be experiencing tough times given the state of the economy, will be one of comfort and hope.

"The resurrection is the greatest news. It gives us reason and purpose to live this life," he said.

The midnight service also signals the end of Lent, and the faithful will celebrate by going home to Sunday dinners that traditionally include lamb and sarmas (pigs in the blanket) for Serbian-American families.

"It's like Thanksgiving. The whole family gathers together," he said.

And, although the focus of Holy Week is on religion, there's also a lighter side for children, he said.

Youngsters take part in Easter egg hunts and learn special songs for the occasion, he said.

"It's also the children's time. It's their holiday, too," he said.

Last year the Easter holiday fell on the same day, April 8, for all Christians.

But this year, the two Easters were more than a month apart, he said.

That's because Eastern Orthodox faithful follow the Julian calendar as well as other criteria, including that the date must follow the Jewish Passover celebration and the vernal equinox.

Other Christians follow the Gregorian calendar.