By Adoga Michael Oyi
Pictures from around the world capture Christians celebrating Easter, their holiest time of year.
Christians around the world have been gathering to celebrate Holy Saturday, ahead of the church's holiest day - Easter Sunday. In Warsaw, Poland, these priests hold candles as part of an Easter Vigil service.
Catholics gathered after sunset in the village of Ragotna, Belarus, to kindle an Easter fire. The fire is traditionally used to light a holy candle that the priest carries ceremonially into the darkened church.
Pope Francis led a service in the Vatican on Saturday, in the majestic confines of Saint Peter's Basilica.
The pontiff also baptised a man during the service. Easter Saturday is a popular day for welcoming new members into the Christian faith.
The bunny's been busy! In Torrance, California, children took part in a giant Easter egg hunt with more than 75,000 eggs
But in Feuerthalen, Switzerland, it was all about egg painting. For Christians, the eggs are a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.
Bullfighters took to the ring during the Easter festivities in Arles, southern France. The annual event, called the "Feria de Paques", marks the start of the bullfighting season there.
These Chinese Catholics in Shanghai were snapped waiting beneath pictures of Pope John Paul II and the Virgin Mary.
This crowd is made up of priests on a pilgrimage in Bucharest, Romania, ahead of Orthodox Palm Sunday. Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian calendar used by Western countries. This year, Orthodox Easter Sunday will fall on 8 April.
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