Easter Traditions l by Derrick Nicholas

by Derrick Nicholas

There are several public holidays sprinkled throughout the calendar year.  Both adults and children look forward to these public holidays for different reasons.  Two such public (bank) holidays will be celebrated during the month of April: namely Good Friday and Easter Monday.

While Christmas might be the most celebrated and probably the favorite public (bank) holiday for most people, for Christians, Easter is the holiest of them of them all. 

Holy Week

Lent, the period leading up to Easter starts on Ash Wednesday.  It is usually a period of self-denial.  For this act of penitence, many people choose to give up certain things.  These include but are not limited to: red meat, alcohol, and sex.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, is the day before Good Friday, and three days before Easter.  Traditionally no benna (calypso) music was played on the radio stations, and it is a period of preparation for the death and resurrection of Christ.  Only hymns and religious programs were played on the radio and television stations.    

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day Christians worldwide regard as the day when Christ was crucified and buried.  This day is marked with church services – usually in the morning.  Other traditions include the eating of ducuna and saltfish meal.  As mentioned before, Christians avoided any meat that contains blood. 

A myth that prevailed over the years on Good Friday is that of breaking an egg and emptying its contents into a clear glass.  This is said to be one sure way of foretelling your future. 

Many of these traditions are rooted in either religious beliefs, myths or cultural observations.  One such myth is going to the beach on Good Friday.  As a child we heard stories about people turning into a fish/mermaid.  Of course, no one wanted to test this theory, so we would engage in kite flying or even playing cricket after attending Good Friday service.

Another Good Friday tradition is the closure of rum shops: no sale of alcohol.  Although alcohol is still available for sale on Good Friday at shops and supermarkets. 

‘Stop Up Night’

The history of this tradition is unclear.  However, on the Saturday night before Easter, many people refused to go to bed early.  This, for fear of being trapped inside their home, without any real opportunity of getting out.  The practice was to put various obstacles or implements to prevent the occupants from freely opening their homes on Easter morning. 

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday service was a must.  Much like New Year’s Eve, churches across Antigua and Barbuda are usually graced by worshippers who would not have visited since the start of the year, save and except for attending a funeral or a wedding in the intervening period.

One of the features of Easter Sunday service is the extravagant or ‘wap-sta-tious’ hats or bonnets worn by the women.  When I was growing up, it was said that the ladies came out in their ‘Sunday best’.  That tradition has somewhat fallen off in recent times, but the wearing of fancy hats on Easter Sunday is still around.

Dining Out

This is a relatively new phenomenon.  The service on Easter Sunday is traditionally a long one, and many families simply do not have the time to cook afterwards.  So, as an alternative, they go out for a meal.  This is also a great opportunity for families to bond and spend quality time together.

Easter Monday

Church picnic was a mandatory activity for Easter Monday.  From early in the morning, kitchens are busy preparing the goodies for the day ahead.  Whether it is scones, cupcakes, tamarind stew, sandwiches and a variety of locally made drinks. 

These picnics were organized either by churches or community groups or by individual families.  Easter Monday was the official start of beach season, as the ocean starts to warm up.

Kite Flying

This too, is a recent phenomenon.  As boys, we would fly kites at any time during the year.  However, in the last few years, Easter Monday traditionally marked the start of the kite flying ‘season’.

Then there is the international kite festival which happens at Devil’s Bridge on Easter Monday, causing serious traffic bottlenecks not just going to the venue, but as far back as Charlotte Street, in Willikies. 

This is a wonderful family event and a favourite with the children.  If there is one criticism, there are way too many ‘manufactured’ kites and not enough homemade kites.  If the tradition of kite making is to survive, this craft needs everyone’s support.

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