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Easter is a sacred holiday
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Easter is more than bonnets and dresses:
By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter,
Nassau, Bahamas:



The hats and clothes are being bought and set aside so that everyone can look extra special on Easter Sunday, but Sunday, March 23, which is marked by Christians worldwide isn't all about the dresses and bonnets.

It specifically marks the end of the 40-day Lenten period of fasting and penitence which is considered a time of reflection, a time to rejoice and a time for a new beginning.

"Easter is the season when Christians celebrate the suffering, the death and most of all the resurrection of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ," says Bishop Samuel Green of Zion United Baptist Church. "We believe that when man separates himself from God that a bridge needed to be found so that man could get back to God, "he said. "God in his goodness — in his mercy — sent his only son to be that bridge as provided for in John 3: 16. We were given the opportunity to live eternally, because when Christ came he defeated death, the enemy of man, and so that's why Paul was able to say 'as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive'. And because of the hope of living for ever more, we celebrate Easter time."

Adding that for his denomination Easter is celebrated through worship services, Green said that they also have special hymns.

"We celebrate Easter by preaching from certain segments of the Bible. There are certain scripture verses that were given to us so we can celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So we preach, we sing and we celebrate the Easter week, time and Jesus Christ."

The week before Easter is very special in the Christian tradition. The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday and the last three days before Easter are called Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday respectively commemorate Jesus' entry in Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.

In some countries, Easter lasts only two days, starting with Easter Sunday and ending on "Easter Monday." However in The Bahamas, the week beginning with Palm Sunday is considered special.

According to Dr. Edward Allen, senior pastor of Abundant Life Bible Church, it is simply one of the holiest events of the year.

He said: "In our church and in the entire Brethren denomination, it's during this time that we have our annual missionary conference and also our annual conference on the passion of Christ. We also have a presentation of the Easter story and song, and on Easter Sunday night we will have one right here at the church. Then for us at Abundant Life we have something called the Passion of Christ which is a series of meetings/services beginning on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday. So we take this very seriously as it is one of the most holiest weeks of the year."

Adding that the Brethren denomination does not observe the Lenten season, Allen said that their celebrations, like all churches simply "boils down" to the resurrection of Christ.

"We just have the straight Easter celebrations, without all the ritualism connected to it."

Easter and it's holidays are moveable feasts, meaning that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian calendar. The date for Easter is determined on a lunisolar calendar, like the Hebrew calendar.

In western Christianity, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 inclusively. The following day, Easter Monday, is a legal holiday in many countries, including The Bahamas with predominantly Christian traditions.

"Easter is a sacred holiday," said Green. "Also Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year."

In modern times, Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period 27 to 33 A.D.. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.

Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the 40 days from Easter Day until Ascension Day. Now it officially lasts for the 50 days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. In The Bahamas, this special occasion is celebrated in a variety of ways.

Edward Smith, former district president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints says that for his church the focus of all celebration is mainly for Easter Sunday.

"We recognize that Jesus is indeed the Christ. That he died for us. That he was in the grave for three days and he rose from the dead, so we celebrate on Easter Sunday. This is because we celebrate the resurrected Lord and we do it on Easter Sunday. Therefore we do not have any services on Good Friday," he said.

Members of the Church of God Of Prophecy, celebrate the passion, the death and the resurrection of Christ in a way that Christians should celebrate it says Bishop Elgarnet Rahming, the church's president.

"We fully understand that if Christ did not arise from the dead, that our faith would be in vain and that all we do would be in vain, and therefore we would have no hope of resurrection when we die," said Rahming. "But as the scripture says, 'As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive' and so we all will die the human death, the physical demise because of the sin of Adam. But because the second Adam, Jesus Christ, came into the spirit in human form and paved the way through his death and resurrection we will arise from the dead. That is our faith and that is the foundation of our beliefs and that is what we look forward to," he said.

The Church of God does not celebrate the Lenten season, as it is not a part of their beliefs. "We are a people who believe that every day is a day of holiness. We don't believe that we should emphasize holiness at any particular time or season. Instead we believe that salvation and our Christian walk with the Lord is serious and therefore we teach and promote holiness, righteous and purity all year long. Therefore even though we may sing a few Easter Hymns, the service does not change much," he said.

This year, Easter Sunday falls on March 23, consequently, Good Friday and Easter Monday fall on March 21 and March 24 respectively.

March 6, 2008 | 7:26 PM Comments  0 comments

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