THE Easter Season is with us again. This is one of the most welcome times of the year. It is respected and celebrated by people of every culture and religion in Guyana’s multi-racial, multi-racial mosaic. This is not surprising since it has both strong religious and cultural strands.

The Easter story is well-known: Lord Jesus who was God incarnate began teaching the people of ancient Palestine a new and revolutionary ethic of non-violence, love, peace and the brotherhood of all mankind. His teachings were regarded as subversive, especially among the conservative, religious and ruling classes who decided that he should be eliminated. Their plot to kill him was successful and he was judicially sentenced to die by crucifixion. His death was a long and agonising one. He- a man who had just come out of a period of prolonged fasting- was made to carry the heavy cross on which he was to be nailed up over a long distance. This painful journey, as well as his crucifixion, is historically documented.

He was crucified on Good Friday and buried on the same day. His family and those who believed in his teachings suffered intense pain and sorrow and when he was certified as dead, they permitted them to take him down from the cross and bury him. He was buried in the family burial chamber. As they waited all Saturday, the family and disciples lived in anxious hope that God will raise him from the dead. Then, on Easter Sunday he rose again from the dead. The rejoicing among the early Christians was intense since all were now convinced that the Son of God was indeed among them. And this was further confirmed when he ascended into heaven. The death and Resurrection of Lord Jesus is one of the most important occurrences in human history.

Every year, the churches all over the world re-enact the drama of the death and Resurrection of Lord Jesus in their Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday services. The Good Friday services usually last for more than three hours and depict Jesus carrying his cross and the crucifixion and his burial. This Good Friday service is intensely sad. Holy Saturday is a time of anxiously awaiting the Resurrection and is a time of hope. The Sunday services are a burst of joy for they celebrate the Rising of the Lord from the dead. The cries of “He is risen!” often resound. Easter is the most joyous day in the Christian calendar.

The Easter message is of deep significance for the welfare and salvation of Man. It brings the presence of God to Man’s consciousness in a very direct way. And Lord Jesus’ teaching has been growing in impact with the passing of time, moving from ancient Palestine to every country in the world.
As we have mentioned above, the Easter Season has a celebratory dimension which occurs on the Monday after Easter Sunday. The secular aspects of the Festival actually begin with cross buns on the Thursday before Good Friday. The cross-bun mixture is unique to Holy Thursday and each bun will be embossed with a cross. Cross buns are widely exchanged among families and children look forward to them.

Families, even the humblest, prepare special lunches or dinners and feel blessed if they are visited by at least one guest. The centre-piece of the Easter Celebrations is kite flying. The customs of kite flying have been changing over the years.
Twenty or 30 years ago, all families, particularly the children, made their own kites. Kite making started two weeks before Easter Monday. Frames were made of any softwood and almost everyone tried his hand at making frames. Papers of every thickness and colour were pasted on the kites and kites were decorated by “stars” pasted in the middle. These “stars” were all of the unique designs and star-making was a special art. Loop making was also a special art for if the loop was not tied with very accurate balance, the kite would never stay in the air for very long.

From dawn on Easter Monday, kite flyers would set out for the day’s fun. They congregated all along the sea walls and on every sports ground or park or any open space and tens of thousands of kites would soon be aloft, and the skies became decorated with colours of every kind. Picnicking was an inseparable part of the fun of kite flying.
Today, there is far less kite flying. Most families and children buy their kites from professional kite makers, or more so, the cheap, flimsy China-imported plastic kites. Though Easter kite flying has somewhat diminished in popularity, those who still fly kites enjoy it immensely and as such, the custom is gradually being revived
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Though the customs of Easter has changed over the years, the meaning and quality of the Festival have not changed. The moral and spiritual message of Easter is still as inspiring and moving as it ever was and the celebratory aspects of the Festival still awaken joy. The Easter spirit of Renewal remains as strong as it was on the first Easter some two thousand years ago.