Easter 2023 – By Niroshan de S Wijeyeratne
Source : Queensland Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – April 2023
Every year, Easter has two significant celebrations – Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Unlike Christmas, these dates change from year to year – based on the lunar calendar. This year, Easter will be commemorated on Good Friday 7 and Sunday 9 April. However, many churches will start Easter celebrations one week earlier on Palm Sunday, which leads to the term ‘Holy Week’.
Easter can mean different things for different people – for some, it’s an opportunity to spend time with
loved ones but for others, Easter means much more. Easter is the epitome of the Christian faith, representing rebirth and renewal as we remember the death and resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus
Christ. In the Christian calendar, Easter Saturday is the day between death and life, despair and joy. Easter Saturday follows Good Friday, where the greatest sacrifice of love was on display. It’s a day of grief and darkness when life feels stuck, and our hope is stalled. But Easter Sunday is the day hope comes alive again .
After he died, Jesus was taken down from the cross and his body was placed in a dark tomb. It was sealed up and guarded from the outside. All of Saturday, Jesus’ followers felt devasted, afraid, disappointed, uncertain and hopeless. But Jesus is “The Light that shines in the darkness” (John 1:5, NLV). The darkness of Good Friday did not overcome the light of God. Because there was a resurrection. 
Jesus brought hope and light into the darkness of his death by rising again on the third day – Easter Sunday. The Bible says in the first light of day some women went to Jesus’ tomb, expecting to anoint
his dead body, as per their custom. They walked the path that led to his tomb feeling pretty hopeless. But, as it turned out, their path was one of hope, because Jesus had risen. Instead of finding Jesus’ body, they saw an angel, who said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6). In their moment of heartache, the women approached Jesus and, by coming back to life, he offered them hope. After the 14th century, a marble plaque is placed over the tomb to protect it from further damage caused by flocks of pilgrims to the site. Today, Jesus assures us that we can do likewise. In our heartache, we can approach him in prayer and receive his hope.
Easter customs and traditions
Understanding more about the Bible’s Easter story may help you understand some of the traditional Easter customs we enjoy today. Hot cross buns, traditionally eaten on Good Friday, carry the symbolism of the cross on which Jesus died. The spices inside the bun represent the spices used on his dead body when he was placed in his tomb. Another popular Easter tradition is, of course, to enjoy chocolate eggs. The egg itself is shaped like the tomb stone that rolled away from where Jesus was buried. And the traditional hollow inside of the egg represents his tomb being empty – as he had risen back to life. The Easter Bunny even carries a connection to the true meaning of Easter. Jesus’ resurrection after his death offers us new life. Bunnies came into the picture as a symbol of Easter due to their connection with the message of new life.
Niroshan de S Wijeyeratne
Niroshan is currently a Financial Advisor with Leggett Accountants
with over 40 years of experience in the financial markets. He is also
the Treasurer of Our Lady of Madhu Shrine, Canungra.
