A week gone after the celebration of Easter Sunday, I felt compelled to share it with my friends and audience of this space community. And especially make a touch on how it is celebrated in Cameroon. To begin with, I wish to put more light on what Easter is, and why it is celebrated.
° Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, commiserated on Easter Sunday, which follows Good Friday when Jesus was crucified. It's a time for Christians to reflect on the victory of life over death and the hope of salvation through Jesus. While the religious significance is central, many non Christian traditions, like egg hunts and Easter Bunny, have also become part of the celebration.
° By looking at the origin of Easter, I realized that Easter being the principal festival of christian church, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. It should be noted that the earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus' Resurrection probably occured earlier.
° As a matter of fact, christians celebrate Easter, a major religious holiday, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is a time of joyful celebration, with many attending church services, decorating with flowers and eggs ( eggs dignifies empty tomb ), and and exchanging festive.
° Easter traditions vary across the christian world, and include sunrise services or late night vigils, exclamations and exchanges of Paschal greetings, flowering the Cross, the wearing of Easter bonnets by women, clipping the church and the decorations and the communal breaking of Easter eggs ( the symbol of the empty tomb ).
SUNRISE EASTER GATHERING
° EASTER CELEBRATION; CASE STUDY OF CAMEROON:
✓ Christians in Cameroon celebrate Easter by commemorating the resurrection of Jesus through church services, sacraments, and various spiritual practices. They often participate in special prayer programs, confession and baptism, culminating a special Easter Sunday service. Many also engage in festive activities like exchanging gifts, buying new clothes and enjoying meals with friends and family.
√ Let's look back to the week leading up to Easter Sunday. This week is the Holy Week and is usually a time for reflection and spiritual preparation which is often seen through special services and prayers.
✓ Also, during the Easter week in Cameroon many churches hold baptismal ceremonies and offers Holy communion as these sacraments are central to the christian faith and celebrate the resurrection.
✓ Meanwhile some denominations like the Catholics and Anglican ( Presbyterian, and.. ) observe an Easter vigil service on Holy Saturday marking the transition in to Easter Sunday .
✓ During Easter Sunday here the churches are usually full or filled with Christians for the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And on this special day many Christians participate in confession as part of their preparation for Easter, seeking forgiveness and renewal.
✓ Easter in Cameroon is also a time for exchanging gifts, and for preparing special meals with family and friends. It is a time for social gatherings with family and friends coming together to celebrate together and strengthen relationships. And during this ceremony, people wear new clothes for the Easter celebration, reflecting the renewal associated with the occasion.
✓ Let's note here that the period from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday is known as the Paschal Triduum, a time of remembering and reflecting on the events surrounding Jesus' last supper, crucifixion, and resurrection.
✓ The core of Easter celebration is the belief in Jesus which is seen as a victory over death and a promise for new life for believers.
✓ Easter is a time for Christians to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, to reflect on the meaning of His sacrifice and to celebrate the promise of new life and eternal hope.
° Easter Sunday is one of the most joyful and significant celebration worldwide. It commemorates Jesus Christ's resurrection from death, as written in christian Bible.
