Good Friday and Easter holds a great significance for all the Christians worldwide. Different countries have different traditions of celebrating this holy week.
Student of Fanshawe and Videographer with Interrobang, Gracia Espinosa says, “In my country, we call it “Holy Friday”. We have important celebrations; we have very traditional ceremonies with music and uniform.”
“We are going to carry sculptures of the virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, where it shows how Mary is suffering seeing Jesus pinned in the cross, so on Friday, we cover the face of Jesus because he’s dead and we don’t remove the blanket until his resurrection,” says Espinosa.
She also mentions, “we recreate every episode with the Jesus’ life with sculptures and pictures, in my country we don’t have classes or work this whole week so you can see how important it is in Spain.”
Catholics worldwide engage in local community events through diverse activities such as parades, carnivals, and festivals.
Sydney, Australia, hosts the Royal Easter Show carnival, while across Europe, a variety of cultural traditions are observed. In Haux, France, locals savor a giant omelet, reflecting their unique heritage. Similarly, different regions across America boast their distinct festivals. Top of Form
Talking about Philippines, another student of Fanshawe, Remy Jade Manzon-Alvarez says, “we celebrate it with family, so Friday is really kind of relax and quiet day some people attend the evening mass while other like me stay at home have a quiet dinner.”
“I am not catholic, but Philippines is a largely Catholic country, so we do follow the traditions and prepare these meals, which are mostly made of root crops, vegetables, gelatin and very basic ingredients, so prepare these meals and enjoy it through the rest of holy week,” says Alvarez.
“The Easter the eggs are more related to protestants and not catholic, but it’s funny because according to one research bunnies and eggs and its nothing related to religions,” says Espinosa
The story of bunnies and eggs’ connection to Easter remains unclear. David G. Chandler’s “The Campaigns of Napoleon,” published in 1966, mentions Napoleon’s encounter with rabbits, but lacks a source. This absence of attribution is typical in older historical texts, leaving readers curious yet unsatisfied.
Basically the story goes like, Napoleon’s attempt to hunt rabbits turned into an unexpected confrontation when outnumbered bunnies stood their ground against him. The incident made headlines in newspapers, but Napoleon, embarrassed by the event, avoided discussing it further. Following this, the tradition of decorating chocolates and bunnies emerged.
“Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday night and Easter Sunday are 5 days before Easter,” says a local Canadian Stewart Hobdean.
He also added, “as a child I never used to visit Church, my mom used to drag me hahah, but here practicing Catholics attend evening mass on good Friday and proper Catholics follow these 5 days very strictly.”
Even though Catholics and Christians all over the world celebrate the Easter season in their way, it doesn’t change the true meaning of Easter for any of us. It is this common link in our beliefs that binds our faiths, and makes us who we are.
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