The Many Faces of Easter

The Many Faces of Easter

The tiny Greek village is dark when the church lights suddenly go out. They remain that way until midnight when a bearded priest emerges, a lighted candle in hand. “Come forth,” he urges, “and receive light from the unwaning light and glorify Christ, who is risen from the dead.” Worshipers huddle around him to light their candles from the flame and then they carry them home. There is great joy in the village. Easter has begun.

OF ALL the holy days of Christendom, none is considered more important than the spring festival called Easter. In other languages the festival is called pâques (French), pasqua (Italian), påske (Danish), paasch (Dutch), and pasg (Welsh). By whatever name you call it, this is a holiday dear to many. Australia’s Anglican Archbishop John Grindrod calls Easter “the centre of a Christian’s faith and the hingepoint of the whole civilisation that has grown around us.”

In the ancient city of Jerusalem, a series of processions have begun. On Good Friday, thousands of worshipers retrace the last steps of Jesus. One woman crawls the half-mile trek on her knees. Later the pilgrims visit the Holy Sepulcher—the traditional burial place of Jesus. Black-clad women anoint the burial slab with oil and weep over and kiss it. But all is not peaceful in this city, the name of which means “possession of twofold peace.” A thousand policemen are on hand to maintain order.

Yes, Easter is many different things to people. Says a manager of a South African chocolate manufacturing company: “Easter presents an opportunity to make more profit.” (During the 1985 Easter season, his firm produced over five million candy eggs!) Even Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu businessmen there jump on the Easter bandwagon. Explained one Indian businessman who lives in South Africa: “Muslims and Hindus do not believe in Jesus, yet some of them promote Easter and will sell hot cross buns and Easter eggs.” Indeed, one Hindu store owner admitted: “Muslims and Hindus also buy Easter eggs.”

Incredibly, though, all these diverse customs, traditions, and practices are believed to serve a common purpose—that of glorifying the resurrected Christ Jesus. But do they? And where do such customs come from in the first place?