17/04/2022
My memorable Easter day celebration as a child.
The day starts with my dad waking us up singing, “Christ the Lord has risen today, halleluyah!…🎶.” We hold our morning devotion, then get ready for Sunday Mass. The homily is said by the priest, and some drama presentation is rendered by the youth wing of the parish, illustrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The local TV station keeps reeling out movies and stories about the gospel of Jesus. “Jesus of Nazareth” starring Robert Powell, Anthony Quinn, Laurence Oliver, James Earl Jones, etc.
Did you even know James Earl Jones (“Mufasa” in “The Lion King”, “King Jaffe Joffa of Zamunda” in “Coming to America”), starred in the 1977 movie, “Jesus of Nazareth?” I didn’t either, I just googled it.😊
We recite the ”Apostle’s Creed”, then the declaration of faith; “Do you renounce SATAN and all his works?”…etc. We all affirm, “Yes we do.” It didn’t make much sense to me then but here’s the fun part.
We get home and mum begins to prepare lunch as though we were having a party. It is PICNIC time. Fried chicken, fried rice, Jollof rice, chin chin, moi moi, fried goat meat, fried turkey, cakes, meat pie, rolls and salads, just name it. Lots of food to eat and so many assorted drinks. Oh my favourite Caprisone and Treetop orange drink. I wasn’t down with the regular coke, fanta and sprite. I wanted my Pamalat full cream milkshake, a little Greensand Shandy, and yes Walls ice cream all the time.
Everyone gets ready with our play clothes, sneakers, swimming outfits, football, mats, card and board games. We are going to NIFOR for picnic. It’s a long trip to the park. “Daddy! Are we there yet?” The usual question asked by impatient, restless kids who just want to play already. Oblivious of anything whatsoever, we are going on a picnic, that’s all that matters. A quick stop at Leventis or Kingsway store to buy disposables and other essentials for the trip takes some minutes of our play time, very annoying.😩
Soon as we arrive the recreation park, that takes almost an hour drive from the house, we visit the large NIFOR farmhouse to see gigantic pigs and other livestock in their shed. I wondered why my dad would always want us to see animals and be in tune with nature. I didn’t get it then, I’m still trying to get it now, but anyway, I’ve transferred that curiosity to my son who loves to watch animals on tv.😜
NIFOR had this beautiful natural habitat that was most serene and soul uplifting. We heard the trees whistling and the birds chiming away in melodious synchrony. Like they were so happy singing at the sight of human visitors. It was like an orchestra of avians welcoming us to the beauty of God’s awesome creation. Isn’t this paradise? It was so refreshing, no wonder we all looked forward to going there every year. We made new friends, saw lots of Caucasians, Indians and Sri Lankans relaxing and basking in the sun, laying on the luscious green vegetation.
Sadly, all that is gone. The natural park is lost and no one really remembers that we once had a beautiful resort in NIFOR where most families use to go to for recreation during Easter. It was such an interesting experience, that we couldn’t wait to get back to school to tell our friends about it.
Easter was so much fun. But why was Easter so important and probably different from how Christmas was celebrated then? As much as it was a day of fun, it was also celebrated solemnly with much adulation and adoration to the Christ of the Christian faith. Was is the story? Was it the message or was it just simply the reminder of the church’s birth and rebirth?
As an adult, reminiscing on the past, I realize that we most often forget the ESSENCE of it all. Easter isn’t just a celebration for Christians. It is a message to all. It doesn’t matter whether you are Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist or Atheist. It is a beautiful story told of love, sacrifice and rebirth. Unfortunately, we get carried away by nothingness, proving baseless points, debating whether the story is true, how we ought to worship, how it either resonates with our thinking or beliefs. We lose the ESSENCE of the message.
The celebration of Easter, is a moment of rebirth, a time for family, a time for reflection. A time to appreciate life in its full glory. A time to reconsider our path and also to reconcile our conscience with what is right. Every other thing becomes unnecessary. NIFOR like many other resort and infrastructure has been lost to the ineptitude of our failed system. We go to church for everything else other than the truth. As soon as we ‘share the grace’ and jump into our cars, we become immediately intolerant, starting with impatiently honking at the vehicle in front of us to get out of the way for us to move. Forgetting that the driver of the vehicle in front of us a few minutes ago was a parishioner whom we shared ‘the peace of the Lord’ with during mass.🙄
We lose the concept of the values taught and go about our ways as though the message was just routine. At some church services, we hear preachings of “the resurrection of our finances” as though the story was told about money?! 🤷🏿♂️ Our attitude becomes an inverse action to what was taught during the sermon. We lose the ESSENCE. Isn’t that why we are still where we are today?
With the REMINISCE of the past, I can say Easter has been the most important time for sober reflection and a time for rebirth. No wonder, it is celebrated at the beginning of Spring when dead plants begin to grow and flourish again. May we celebrate this season with love and joy, while we keep in mind the ESSENCE of the season. The story of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection speaks more of LOVE, SACRIFICE, DEATH and REBIRTH. That as a society is something we must never forget.
Happy Easter celebration to believers and nonbelievers. Christ did it for you even you still can’t understand why.
Pics credit: The Guardian.
