Written by: Jovita Alvares
Posted on: April 15, 2022 | 
| 中文
Christians attend Easter celebrations at Cathedral Church, Lahore
Easter is celebrated by many over the globe usually with Easter egg hunts, chocolate bunnies and other fun traditions. However, for Christians, Easter holds a deep and important meaning within their faith.
Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, making it the most important celebration for Christians all over the world. While Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth, Easter glorifies His greatest sacrifice; to expiate the sins of mankind, Christ suffered, died and rose again.
For Christians, Easter is not a single day of reverence, but rather a blessed time stretched over a month. Easter Sunday is a culmination to Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and preparation. While fasting is an important part of Lent, the Christian faith also encourages its followers to introspect and therefore, abstain from things that may be indulgent. It is a time to improve yourself from within, to improve one’s character and strengthen one’s faith.
Christians hold candles during midnight Easter service at St. Patrick Church in Karachi
This time of abstinence begins with Ash Wednesday, where ash is placed on the forehead of Christians as a symbol of their faith, and ends with Passion Week, which is a series of holy days that commemorate Christ’s last days on Earth. The week begins with Palm Sunday. A small procession is held where palms are waved in the air while hymns are sung to symbolize Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem.
After that is Holy Thursday, which is in commemoration of Christ’s Last Supper with his apostles. Presently, during the mass, a group of individuals from the congregation are invited before the priest who then washes their feet. This is symbolic of how Jesus washed his followers’ feet before supper, explaining that humility, kindness and servitude are traits that He wished to leave with them.
Devotees offering prayers in a church in Karachi
After the mass, there are hours of prayer that are held in the church. This is a time of reflection and quiet meditation that recall Jesus’ time in the garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed for strength for the task that was ahead of Him. This is also the place where Jesus was eventually arrested.
The crucifixion and death of Christ is commemorated on Good Friday. This is a solemn but joyous day, as we remember His passing, our faith recognizes its purpose and that He is meant to rise again. A great tradition on Good Friday is the making of hot cross buns. In Karachi, you will find people queue up well into the early hours of the morning waiting anxiously in line to collect their order of buns from Misquita Bakery. The bun is a soft loaf, baked with raisins and with a visible cross on the top.
Hot cross buns from Misquita Bakery
Like with Christmas, celebrations for Easter begin with the start of the day. This means, that the first masses for these two important feasts are held at midnight at various churches across the city. The service begins with a candle light vigil and readings from the Old Testament, and continues on to celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
For my family it is tradition to attend these midnight services. We put on our Sunday’s best, attend the service together, after which we celebrate with a wonderful home cooked feast at home. As Lent is a time of fasting and abstinence, the feast we prepare is of some of our favorite dishes. We sit up well in to the early hours of the morning enjoying eating, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.
Food spread for Easter
Sunday morning you would usually find us all sleeping in. However, by midday we are all dressed and ready to continue celebrating the big day. Every year, during this time I fondly remember my grandmothers. They were the matriarchs of our family and for every Christmas and Easter, they would create a spread of their best dishes which we would be invited to enjoy. My paternal grandmother would have us all over for lunch, while my maternal grandma would call the entire family for dinner.
Since their passing, my respective aunts have taken on the role of continuing these important gatherings, and we are still able to get together with our cousins and extended family to celebrate.
Candle vigil for midnight Easter service
Food staples you would find at these feasts include: biryani (who doesn’t love that) and sorpotel, which is a traditional Goan dish made of diced meat cooked in an array of spices. This is a key dish you’d find at Christian celebrations; the making of it is tedious and therefore, only served on special occasions. It is a favorite with all, including for me, and probably the best thing to eat for lunch and dinner!
While Christmas is a time of exchanging presents, Easter is a time of receiving chocolates and other sweet goodies, though as an adult, I have been receiving envelopes for both and that is not bad at all!
Police stands guard at St Patrick Church in Karachi
Easter in my family is a day packed full of food, love and laughter. It is a beautiful occasion where we are all finally together and enjoy the kindness and warmth of one another, while also remembering our family members that are no longer with us.
Easter Celebrations
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