By Steven Vickerie
Over the years, Easter celebrations have evolved in different ways. Commercially, adults and children observe this day with the Easter Bunny; a fictional character that is said to lay eggs filled with sweets and other delectables. This allows for the hosting of an Easter egg hunt. Religiously however, Easter speaks to the greatest sacrifice known to mankind, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Whether you believe the story of Jesus, or the festivity of a bunny, the story of Easter speaks to love and kindness. In today’s feature, we will highlight the story of Jesus Christ, and how important the message of forgiveness and love is to Guyana’s situation of racial intolerance.
HISTORICAL REFERENCE
Easter, which is Latin for Pascha or Greek Pascha, is the principal festival of the Christian community, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion.
The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century.
On the Christian calendar, Easter follows Lent, the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter, which traditionally is observed by acts of penance and fasting.
Easter is also immediately preceded by Holy Week, which includes Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples; Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, the transition between crucifixion and resurrection.
But, Easter, just like Christmas, has accumulated many traditions, some of which have little to do with the Christian celebration of the resurrection but derive from folk customs. The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in scripture and the lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel.
FORGIVENESS AND LOVE
There is always the argument that to truly show love and forgiveness, one must be of pure heart. But in a world where there is hate, genocide and even racial hostility, how does the message of Easter appeal to people? To answer this, Guyana Standard interviewed Prophetess, Rhonda Smith.
The Prophetess told Guyana Standard that the story of Jesus in his final hours on earth, tells the tale of not only of his selfless sacrifice, but also the importance of forgiving others.
“Jesus was not only nailed to the cross, he was betrayed by one of his own disciples. Then another disciple denied knowing him. He was beaten, mocked and even when he was on the cross, he asked for water and they gave him vinegar. All this, and in the end, he told his father to forgive them because they knew not [what they were doing]. This is an example of how forgiveness is important, not for people but for you,” she noted.
The Prophetess said too that showing love, appreciation and forgiveness to others can foster collective goals in society. She noted in this regard that Easter subjects people to the greatest story of sacrifice, and as such, allows many to reflect on not only mistakes made in the past, but also making things right for the future.
She quoted the famous, “John 3:16” verse from the Bible, positing that forgiveness and love can yield an everlasting life. “Jesus did not look at our race, our status; he didn’t even look at our religious background… he died for our sins selflessly on the cross of calvary. That is a perfect example of what love is through Jesus,” Smith said.
EASTER BUNNY VS. JESUS CHRIST
The Christian faith has fought tirelessly for decades to maintain the true meaning of certain religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Despite intense campaigns of commercialisation over the years, the Prophetess said the true meaning of these religious holidays remain intact.
She noted that the Christian community still believes in the “reasons for the seasons” while adding that children of Christian parentage continue to teach about the meaning of these religious holidays.
The religious leader was also sked by this publication about churches now adapting to the secular belief of Easter. She was quick to note that the community and its hardcore believers are not so easily manipulated.
“Neither commercialism or any other phenomenon in society can truly modify the spiritual meaning or even the significance of Easter. However, commercialism can impact the way one celebrates the holiday and the practices that go along with it,” Smith said.
But while the commercialisation of these holidays has become more lucrative and attractive as the years go by, Prophetess Simon posited that the true meaning of Easter will remain unshaken. She did note too that the religious meaning of the holiday can be emphasized more in societal groups.
“The Easter Bunny is a folkloric tradition that German settlers brought to the Americas in the 1700s. What happened was the children began to (gravitate more to) this creative aspect of Easter with the painting of eggs and as such, this custom spread, to even places like Guyana,” Smith said.
Even as one can understand how traditions such as the foregoing are adopted, she believes nothing can trump the religious significance of the holiday.
RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
Holidays such as Pagwah, Diwali, Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha have all fostered social cohesion throughout the years. In fact, these holidays are promoted nationally as one that promotes a common ground for all religions and races. Easter has done the same thing.
While Easter is synonymous with the Easter eggs, cross buns and the story of Jesus, it is often celebrated in Guyana with the Asian influence of kite flying. Every year, scores of persons from all walks of life and religious backgrounds flock open spaces to fly their kites high in the sky.
But how could Easter, the story of Christ, become part of the solution to the ongoing issue of racism in Guyana? Within the last several years, Guyana’s fight to end racism has reached an all-time high with racism not only spewing from the political arena, but also online.
According to Prophetess Smith, “Easter can teach Guyanese to be more racially tolerant. This can be done by just showing more love and understanding to one another because in love, there is no racism… in the world we have a number of races… God loved the world so much that gave his only son. It was not for one group but for us all.”
Smith therefore urged Guyanese to be more tolerant and show love to each other not only during the Easter season but beyond. Given the power of Easter to pull people from all races and walks of life to celebrate in harmony, Prophetess Smith expressed every confidence that it can be part of the national solution by promoting social cohesion.
