Egypt's Coptic christians celebrate Easter after 55-day fast

Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Christians flocked to churches on their Holy Saturday to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

The Copts in Egypt, a predominantly Muslim country, are one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

As they attended the Holy Saturday Mass, faithful expressed their happiness at being able to mark the beginning of Easter.

The holiday comes at the end of a 55-day fast, during which Coptic Orthodox believers consume no meat, fish or dairy products.

This year, the fast partially overlapped with Ramadan, the month-long period during which Muslims fast from sunup to sundown.

Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church split from other Christians in 451 A.D. over a dispute about the nature of Christ.

Unlike Roman Catholics, they do not believe in papal infallibility or purgatory.