Easter is celebrated on a Sunday between March and April by Christians to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday celebrations include an elaborate build-up of festivities that cover 40 days of Lent and an entire week of important remembrances.
 

Origins

Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, believed to have occurred on a Sunday, three days after his crucifixion and death by the Romans. The celebrations are closely associated with the Jewish Passover feast as the early Christians were Jews and as Jesus’ death and resurrection is closely associated to the Jewish Passover feast. Easter” comes from the Germanic word Ostern which means “to rise”.
 

Special Days

Lent

Prior to Easter Sunday there is the period called Lent which spans 40 days and recalls Jesus’ own 40 day fast whilst he was tempted in the wilderness. It is a period of penitence and reflection, often accompanied by a 40-day fast where Christians choose to forgo meat or a particular favoured item of consumption.
 

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent and a church service is usually held where communicants are blessed with ashes in the form of a cross on their forehead.
 

Holy Week

The week prior to Easter is known as the Holy Week and specific days during this week would commemorate specific aspects of Jesus’ journey to the cross, from the point he enters Jerusalem to his crucifixion.
 

Palm Sunday

The Sunday before Easter Sunday is called Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is celebrated as Christ’s entry into Jerusalem when he was welcomed by rejoicing Jews and their children with palm branches. Palm leaves are distributed to the congregation during church services on Palm Sunday. In Singapore, some churches weave the local palm leaves into the shape of a cross whilst others have children parade into the service waving their palm leaves.
 

Maundy Thursday

The Thursday of Holy Week is called as Maundy Thursday which takes its meaning from the Latin word mandatum which means “commandment”. On this day, Jesus celebrates Passover and has his last supper with his disciples. It is on this night that he gives his commandments to his disciples, to love God with all their heart and to love one another. He also institutes the communion and washes the feet of his disciples, a symbolic act of humility. In Singapore, Maundy Thursday services often see a re-enactment of these events with the priest of the church serving communion and washing the feet of selected communicants.
 

Good Friday

Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus was crucified and is a solemn occasion. Churches have short morning services, remembering the significance of Jesus’ death.
 

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is the day before Easter and is known as Sebattun Sactum. On this day, worshippers commemorate Jesus’ rest in the tomb.
 

Easter Sunday

In Singapore, Easter Sunday is a popular day for converts to be baptised. Some churches will have sunrise services, often along the East Coast beach, remembering that Jesus rose early in the morning. Roast lamb, like that served at the Jewish Passover meal is becoming a popular adaptation to the local Easter meal. Easter eggs are also popular with children here.
 

Ascension Sunday

Significant Sundays continue the Easter celebrations 40 days after Easter, particularly in church services amongst the Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans and the Roman Catholics in Singapore which closely follow the liturgical year. It culminates in Ascension Sunday when the congregation remembers Christ’s ascension into heaven and some conclude with Pentecost Sunday after that. Christians believe that this marks the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in and empower the church.