Shades of Easter across the globe

About 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ, in his early 30s, sacrificed his life to save mankind from sin that mankind would have a good relationship with God the Creator.

The commemoration of His death and subsequent resurrection became known as Easter, a sacred event celebrated by Christians worldwide.

Easter is celebrated annually to symbolically observe the crucifixion,death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is typically marked with church services that start with the celebrations of the Chrism Mass or Mass of the Oils on Wednesday and Holy Thursday with the Passover, particularly in the case of Roman Catholics.

One of the major highlights is observed on Good Friday, the day Jesus died.

Christians believe that through His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin and by that purchased for all who believe in Him, eternal life.

Easter in Ghana

Across Ghana, the solemn mood on Good Friday and Holy Saturday gives way to joy on Easter Sunday and on Monday when revellers take over the beaches and other social centres while some churches organise picnics for their members.

However, in recent times, the sacred occasion has taken a different twist.

The leadership of the Christian community use the Easter season as a period of reflection, forgiveness, renewal, reconciliation and dedication of their lives to God.

Gradually, commercialisation is taking over the essence of the festival.

In some areas where the Easter has been hyped beyond what goes in the Church, the celebrations have become associated with immoral acts, including indecent dressing and sexual immorality.

The situation was so bad that in 2013, the Kwahu Development Association served notice that it would not tolerate "indecent dressing and any behaviour that offend cultural and moral values" by revellers during that year’s Easter festivities in the area.

The Kwahu area has become the heart of Easter celebrations in the country with thousands of people, both young and old, indigenes and non-indigenes, trooping to the area to enjoy themselves.

With the serene atmosphere there, the place has become more exciting and not so easy to resist after the addition of paragliding to the celebrations.

Paragliding, a recreational and competitive flying sport which was introduced about a decade ago to boost domestic tourism, has become a major attraction to the celebration in Kwahu, attracting tourists from Austria, Germany, South Africa, the USA, the UK, Togo and Switzerland, in addition to fun-starved local tourists.

According to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), road users were most vulnerable during Easter and Christmas festivities, as drivers tried to cash in on the festivities by speeding and carrying out other forms of indiscipline on the roads.

Last year, for instance, the Central Region alone recorded eight road accidents that left three persons dead and 16 others injured.

Admittedly, some Ghanaians used the occasion to return to their communities to plan their contribution to the development of their communities.

“It was through our Easter fundraising that we managed to raise funds to finance our self-help electricity project,” Madam Patience Kumordzi told the Daily Graphic, re-echoing the importance of Easter to community development in Ghana.

For others too, Easter is the period to visit their hometowns to solve family disputes.

Across the world, Easter celebrations mean different things to different people.

Rome

As expected, the seat of the Catholic Church puts up a good celebration at Easter. On Good Friday, the crowd of the faithful who congregate at St Peter’s Square in Rome are treated to Medieval-themed performances, a reconstruction of the Nativity and a re-enactment of Jesus’ life, including the crucifixion.

Then on Easter Sunday, the Pope himself celebrates Mass from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica. Tickets are free but very limited; in fact, one has to apply more than two months in advance – by fax. If you don't manage to get tickets for Sunday, the Pope also heads to the Colosseum in Rome two days before Good Friday to perform the 'Stations of the Cross' procession.

Philippines

The celebration may be fun fair in Italy but in the Philippines—a country with a high Catholic population—the Easter celebration can get a little nasty. There is nothing compared to the pain some Catholic Filipinos feel at Easter.

As penance for their sins, participants in one public event whip their backs with bamboo sticks and sharp blades as a form of worship leading up to Easter. Parading the streets half-naked, barefooted and performing this act of self-flagellation is meant to replicate the suffering of Jesus and is believed to cleanse the soul and even cure illnesses.

Greece

Celebrations are a bit more light-hearted in Greece. A traditional Mass is held on Holy Saturday night and at midnight, colourful fireworks display mark the start of Easter Sunday.

Once the Mass is over, everyone goes home to enjoy a bowl of steaming lamb’s stomach soup called mayiritsa _or _patsas, while the rest of the animal is roasted for dinner. Many of the Greek islands have their unique Easter commemorations, including the hurling of clay pots out of the window on Holy Saturday and an epic battle between two churches using firework rockets.

Indonesia

Portuguese and Dutch missionaries brought Christianity to the islands of Indonesia in the 16th century. Since then, Easter has been celebrated with re-enactments of the crucifixion.

Young men are publicly bound to wooden crosses across the country, while statues of Jesus Christ and his mother, Mary, are paraded through the streets. The lead role is highly sought after and it’s considered an honour to play Jesus.