Imlisanen Jamir
Easter weekend has come and gone. For Christians, it was a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life. For others, this time of year is a reminder of renewal and represents the pivot from winter to true spring as the foliage begins to gain color.
It is fascinating to figure out why Easter has somehow failed to become the “cultural Christian” holiday like Christmas has managed to do for instance. It could be as frivolous as the suggestion that breaking up the monotony and cold weather rendered the Christmas season, rather than early spring, the ideal time for a period of celebration.
Or the reason is more philosophical.
Perhaps, the celebration of the birth of a child, with its associated imagery of family and love, is a more natural fit for a secularised celebration. In contrast, the image of a horrible killing, only to be followed by a rise from the dead, is perhaps much harder to secularise.
However, whichever way one deconstructs Easter, the same qualities that make this holiday difficult to secularize are also what make it profound, and not just from a spiritual perspective. That paradox, that moveable springtime feast, celebrates not just the beginning of one being’s life but the conquering of all suffering. And suffering is something the world is undergoing now.
As the last 12 months dissolve into a past few of us will forget, we hope for a rebirth of the land, and perhaps the way we live our lives. We’ve dealt with the fallout of a life-altering pandemic. In 2021, nature’s normal annual growth is a welcome sight. Also a welcome sight is citizens lining up to be immunized against COVID-19.
Easter’s presence in spring has always been a parallel to rebirth. After a long winter, our surroundings turn green again. Flowers, grass and leaves grow. Birds come back. The sun isn’t illuminating a bleak landscape. Temperatures rise, along with our spirits.
So while Easter may have not been able to capture the ‘family holiday spirit’ that defines an entire season, it’s nice to have one holiday, at least, where the meaning is clear—to reaffirm the power of hope.
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