The changing face of Easter celebrations

When it comes to big holiday celebrations, most people plan months ahead of the big day. For Easter however, celebrations are not put on the same pedestal as the big festive season celebrations like Christmas.

This in no way trivialises the longstanding custom of celebrating Easter, which has become more than just a Sunday morning event filled with religious merrymakings.

Families and friends get together on Easter Sunday to go to church and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, palm leaves become awash on streets leading to churches. Children are seen running up and down the streets with palm leaves ready to join the Sunday school march to and from church.

The euphoria that surrounds the Easter celebration can be emphatic, especially to the devoted Christians who have from historical times endeared themselves to this celebration which chronicles an integral part of the lifetime of Jesus on earth.

Easter is one of those much anticipated days when children await to have a heavy feast of chicken, pilau and soft drinks. On this day, parents prepare good meals for their children. Much as Easter is all about the resurrection of Christ, the celebration is customised to make it memorable to family and friends.

Malikita Lilliane, a Dar es Salaam resident, has been celebrating Easter for the last 20 years. A mother of two young boys, she’s had to make Easter celebration a fun festivity for the family.

“My boys love the morning preparations on Easter Sunday. They especially gawp at the heavy slaughtering of chicken, knowing that a delicious feast is forthcoming. When it comes to buying new clothes, they never shy away from asking what clothes I’ve bought for them. At times they even recommend what should be bought,” she says.

Going to church every Sunday is what most families do on a weekly basis, but on Easter Sunday, a visit to the place of worship cannot be overemphasised. Not all children like going to church however, on any given day.

I know of a mother who practically has to drag her children off bed every Sunday morning just to prepare them for church. But on Easter Sunday, without being monitored, her children wake up early in the morning and start preparations of going to church. It is a Sunday unlike any other, for they are about to be availed to the fun activities that come a long with the day’s celebrations. And while at church, the Sunday preaching and reliving the resurrection story often gets them on their toes. But what’s important on this day, is that the family as a whole was able to go to church.

Suma Christine, a business woman in the city, has an ambivalent approach towards the Easter celebration this year. In the past, together with her husband and 9 year old son, they would organise a small celebration at home where friends and family would get invited to celebrate Easter.

Today, she has three additions to the family after giving birth to three more children. This year’s celebration has come at a time when food prices and the price of other consumable goods are at an all-time high.

“We will not host a celebration at home this year,” she says, adding, “business is not good. What I and my husband make from what we do doesn’t justify a celebration, even if it’s Easter.”

Not many families will be able to buy food in bulk in preparation for Easter. Common consumable products such as flour, rice, oil, beef, have seen their prices skyrocket, leaving only a handful of people able to purchase such products.

Popular sentiments around the country shed light to a fading economic situation which has left many families pondering on their finances. As such, Easter celebrations this year might be similar to last year’s celebrations, which saw a majority of middle and low-income families limit their celebration activities.

Wife, mother and entrepreneur Mbumi Catherine, echoes the same economic grievances shared by the majority. Even though she has a small family of four people (her husband, son and househelp), she is not exempt from the financial shortage that has become a norm to many. In the past she would spearhead a fun-filled day with her husband and son, but this year she only plans to take her son to church on Easter Sunday, then hope that one of her in-laws pays them a visit and offer to take her son out for the day’s celebrations. “What I will try to do, is buy my son new clothes,” she speaks, and adds, “It’s the least I can afford.”

In addition to money scarcity, the prevailing weather conditions in most parts of the country leave little to be desired. The rains have destroyed the country’s infrastructure, leaving many to prefer staying indoors as opposed to going out.

Mavugo Paul, a Secondary school teacher and small business owner says that Easter celebrations have evolved with time. After commemorating Good Friday, Holy Saturday, then going to church on Easter Sunday, families would incorporate such celebrations with other engaging activities such as feasts and family get-togethers.

“Now you find families at home after church. There isn’t much of a celebration anymore, save for the small gifts we give to our children,” he says.

From having lively Easter celebrations in the past, to the now more uneventful affair among families and friends, Easter festivities might have lost the splendor for which they are known for, but they still remain relevant among many.

We live in contrasting times which are dictated by economic gains and losses. From the urban set-up, right up to the villages, Easter celebrations have been altered in one way or another. Families are forced to forego the merrymakings which were a big part of the celebrations.

Planning a perfect Easter celebration on a budget

Start thinking about Easter and begin planning today. Don’t wait till Palm Sunday. Lent began this year on March 1, and is a season intended to help us prepare our hearts to receive and worship Jesus for his work on the cross. You aren’t a failure if you start late.

Create anticipation with a countdown to Easter. Make a traditional numbered paper chain for your children to tear off one paper loop each day.

Plan meaningful decorations for your home. Please forego the chicks and bunnies. Instead, hang the Easter Banner on your front door. Set fresh flowers on your mantle or kitchen to represent new life. Encourage your children to build a cross with old pieces of wood and let them decide where to display it.

Get your church and community involved with some advance planning. Organise a church or neighborhood egg hunt.

Have your children reenact Palm Sunday. Read aloud the story in John 12. Encourage them to create costumes, and even the scene if you have the space.

Invite your friends over for a DIY craft night to make these Easter candles. Use them as décor on your kitchen or dining room table, but don’t light them until Easter Sunday. Waiting until Resurrection Day makes your Easter feast much more special and it signifies that the Light of the World is risen indeed!

Happy Easter to you!