Easter, time to renew one's life

Bengaluru: A New Year is a new beginning, and for Christians and most others, this ‘beginning’ is a reminder of their Lord, the history, the sins and sacrifices.  Originating from the German word “Oster” (New Life Renewal), Easter is the culmination of over two months of dedicated worship. Upholding the traditional belief that the Christ rose from the dead on this day, numerous Christians, all over the world, observe holy masses, prayers and meditation, reflecting upon the good and bad of their character and temperament.

This practice is preceded by a 40-day long fast, ‘Lent’, during which the Christians give away something very dear to them as a sacrifice for the good deeds of Lord Jesus. With hourly masses throughout the period, the Lent is broken on the auspicious ‘Good Friday’ with meditations and spirituals discourses. Sermons in churches include lessons from the Holy Bible and sacrifices of the Christ, who paid for the sins of the people so that they could attain salvation.

Some simple and others extraordinary, different churches follow different traditions during the festival. The Ascension Church, Bengaluru follows the simple Indian tradition to celebrate Easter. Evening masses are conducted every day, concluding with a three-hour mass between 12 noon and 3 pm on Good Friday, along with meditation to observe the ‘7 Holy Words’ spoken by Lord Jesus and its relevance in the current world. The Lent is broken with refreshments served on the church premises. A Midnight Vigil is conducted on the eve of Easter, followed by ‘Sunrise Services’ on Sunday to signify Jesus’ Resurrection.

The festival terminates with the second service at 9 am. While questions regarding the festival and its relevance remain, practitioners say that the Easter is the celebration of their devotion to the Christ.