Christians in Kerala celebrate Easter with prayers, festivities

The Christian community in the State on Sunday celebrated Easter, marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with solemn prayers, festivities and traditional feasts after the 40-day Lenten observance. Devotees, including women and children, thronged churches to attend midnight and dawn masses held across the State.

Special prayers and services were conducted in churches of various denominations, with bishops and senior clergy leading the liturgy and delivering messages of hope, renewal, and spiritual awakening. In the state capital, Archbishop Thomas J Netto led the midnight mass at St Joseph’s Metropolitan Cathedral in Palayam, while Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, presided over the service at St Mary’s Cathedral in Pattom.

In his address, Cardinal Cleemis urged the faithful to exercise their democratic right responsibly in the upcoming Assembly election, emphasising the importance of voting according to one’s conscience.

Meanwhile, Mar Raphael Thattil, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, expressed concern over the continuing conflict in West Asia, calling for peace and solidarity with those affected by violence.

Easter, one of the most significant festivals in the Christian calendar, signifies the triumph of life over death and hope over despair. It also marks the culmination of Holy Week, which commemorates the final days of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixion and resurrection.

Marking the occasion, Christian households across Kerala prepared elaborate festive meals, bringing families together in celebration after the period of fasting and penitence.