The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)
A blessed celebration, 3 April 2010
by CHARLES FERNANDEZ (charlesf@thestar.com.my)
TOMORROW, Christians worldwide will be celebrating Easter.
Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is one of the most well-attended Sunday service of the year at churches.
Christians believe that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross, and as part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion, is commemorated on Good Friday.
Easter also marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline, in preparation for Easter beginning on Ash Wednesday.
And leading to Easter, churches observe Palm Sunday beginning on the last week of Lent, known as Holy Week, and this holiest time of the church year includes Maundy Thursday (Christ’s Last Supper) and Good Friday (crucifixion of Jesus).
Lent culminates on Saturday evening of Holy Week in the Great Vigil for Easter, when Christians gather in darkness, light new fire, and celebrate the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies in the resurrection of Christ.
As much as the Holy Week or the last week of Lent is an important period in the Christian calendar, the Pine trees, as a story goes, know when Easter is approaching.
It is thought that Pine trees start growing in the weeks before Easter and two weeks before the celebration, one will see the yellow shoots at the top of the trees.
As Easter Sunday nears, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a cross and by the time Easter Sunday arrives, most of the Pine trees will have small yellow crosses on all the tallest shoots, shining in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses.
In Malaysia, the customs observed during Easter long ago are being forgotton over time.
People here celebrate Easter according to their beliefs and their religious denominations. Christians commemorate Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that he was resurrected.
Protestant settlers introduced the custom of a sunrise service, a religious gathering at dawn.
It is also a day when many children wake up to find that the Easter Bunny has left them baskets of candy and hidden the eggs that they had decorated earlier that week.
Children have fun hunting for the eggs all around the house. Neighbourhoods and organisations hold Easter egg hunts and the child who finds the most eggs wins a prize.
The custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that rabbits laid eggs in the grass. The Romans believed that “All life comes from an egg,” and Christians consider eggs to be “the seed of life” and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why the eggs are dyed, coloured and decorated is not certain but it is a practice to give as gifts beautifully decorated eggs.
While we probably won’t see the Easter bunny for Easter, we will find some interesting celebrations in the days before Easter which include solemn processions and masses as the Sunday is when Jesus Christ is resurrected from his death and for the Christians, it is a joyous celebration.
Tina Xavier, 49, a mother of two teenagers, said she missed the celebrations of yesteryear when families gathered and there was so much of fun.
“Nowadays, it is difficult to get the children to be with the family on this auspicious day. They prefer to be out celebrating with their friends instead,” said Xavier.
Religious processions are held in many churches on the Friday or Saturday before Easter and sometimes on Easter Sunday. Many churches have special statues of the Virgin and Jesus that play a big part in the processions. The statues may be paraded through the city or displayed in the main square of the church. Palm fronds are often used in the processions and to decorate churches.
In Sicily, Italy, there is a large procession on Good Friday, with more than 2,000 friars dressed in ancient costumes walking through the streets of the city. Trapani, also in Sicily, is a good place to see processions, held for several days during the Holy Week and where a procession goes on for 24 hours.
And in some small towns overseas, live scenarios during the night of Good Friday or plays enacting the Stations of the Cross are held. Most churches in the historic city of Malacca still follow these traditions.
Since Easter is the end of the Lent season and food plays a big part in the celebrations, churches here distribute Easter bread after the services.
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