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In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem worshippers prayed over the spot where it is believed Jesus was buried.

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Young and old from Syria's Christian sects gathered for the celebrations in the capital Damascus.

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In St Jean Bishop church in Beirut, Lebanon, children were given coloured Easter eggs.

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Roman Catholic churchgoers queued to have their Easter eggs blessed in Belarus.

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In Baghdad, young altar boys did not seem excited to be celebrating the first Easter since the fall of Saddam Hussein...

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...while in the Philippines, people used the afternoon to cool off in Manila Bay.

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In Haiti, troupes of colourful Vodou Rara bands performed rituals to mark the end of Lent.

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The colourful scenes were replicated in St Peter's Square in Rome where this year's flowers were provided by Holland.