Nation celebrates Easter

          New Delhi/Cochin: Christians across the country attended special prayer ceremonies to mark the celebration of Easter. The believers attended the Easter Mass on Sunday to celebrate the most joyous day in the Christian calendar. The day is celebrated worldwide to commemorate the resurrection of Christ. For Christians the miraculous event symbolises the victory of good over evil and life over death. In Cochin devotees came in huge numbers to attend the midnight mass. While a similar scene was witnessed at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi. Devotees flooded the Cathedral to with candles in their hands and devotional songs on their lips. Easter is the principal festival of the Christian church year, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The origins of Easter date to the beginnings of Christianity, and it is probably the oldest Christian observance after the Sabbath (originally observed on Saturday, later on Sunday). Later, the Sabbath subsequently came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection. Meanwhile, many of the cultural historians find, in the celebration of Easter, a convergence of the three traditions - Pagan, Hebrew and Christian. According to St. Bede, an English historian of the early 8th century, Easter owes its origin to the old Teutonic mythology. It was derived from the name Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, to whom the month of April was dedicated. The festival of Eostre was celebrated at the vernal equinox, when the day and night gets an equal share of the day. The English name "Easter" is much newer. When the early English Christians wanted others to accept Christianity, they decided to use the name Easter for this holiday so that it would match the name of the old spring celebration. This made it more comfortable for other people to accept Christianity. But it is pointed out by some that the Easter festival, as celebrated today, is related with the Hebrew tradition, the Jewish Passover. This is being celebrated during Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew lunar year. The Jewish Passover under Moses commemorates Israel's deliverance from about 300 years of bondage in Egypt. It was in during this Passover in 30 AD Christ was crucified under the order of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate as the then Jewish high priests accused Jesus of "blasphemy". The resurrection came three days later, on the Easter Sunday. The early Christians, many of them being brought up in Jewish tradition regarded Easter as a new feature of the Pascha (Passover). It was observed in memory of the advent of the Messiah, as foretold by the prophets. And it is equanimous with the proclamation of the resurrection. Thus the early Christian Passover turned out to be a unitive celebration in memory of the passion-death-resurrection of Jesus. However, by the 4th century, Good Friday came to be observed as a separate occasion. And the Pascha Sunday had been devoted exclusively to the honor of the glorious resurrection. Churches in the West observe it on the first day of the full moon that occurs on or following the Spring equinox on March 21., it became a movable feast between March 21 and April 25. Still some churches in the East observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival. The preparation takes off as early as on the Ash Wednesday from which the period of penitence in the Lent begins. The Lent and the Holy week end on the Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection.
March 27, 2005

Christians observe Good Friday

          New Delhi: Lord Jesus Christ laid down his life for mankind on this day. To mark the sacrifice, early morning masses, special prayers and services were held in churches across India on Good Friday. Churches conducted special services with priests urging the devotees to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness preached by Jesus Christ. "Its a day when Jesus gave life for the sins of the whole world. And it's said that he rose on the third day, that is Easter," said Bobby, a devotee in New Delhi. The native church in Kerala observed Good Friday as the "Friday of Sorrow." This is very important for the Christians as Good Friday this year falls on March 25, which is called the "Annunciation Day" and is believed as the holiest day all over the world, after a gap of 55 years. Devotees in Mumbai also thronged churches across the city to offer prayers on the occassion of Good Friday. "Jesus laid his life for us so we would also like to help others in order to repay his debt", said Fatima, a devotee from Mumbai. According to legends, on March 25 the angel Gabriel came from the heaven and appeared to the Virgin Saint Mary and said that after nine months, on 25th December, Jesus the saviour is going to be your son. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. It is a day of mourning in church. During special Good Friday services Christians meditate on Jesus's suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith. In some countries, there are special Good Friday processions, or re-enactments of the Crucifixion. The main service on Good Friday takes place between midday and 3pm. In many churches it takes the form of a meditation based on the seven last words of Jesus on the cross, with hymns, prayers, and short sermons. Good Friday occurs between March 20 and April 23 on the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. There are few explanations as to why the holiday is known as "Good" Friday since it commemorates a sorrowful time in Christianity. Some scholars believe that "good" is a corruption of the word "God's" while others speculate that "good" was used to denote "holy". In Eastern Orthodox churches, the observance is known as Great Friday. Good Friday has been observed since about 100 C. E. However, for many years it had no association with Jesus' death but was simply another day of fasting. Since the late fourth century, it has been associated with the crucifixion. Many churches now have mourning services from noon until 3:00 p.m. to symbolize Jesus' last hours on the cross. Some congregations also re-enact Jesus' procession to the cross in a ritual known as Stations of the Cross.
Mar 25, 2005

Chunri and Jai Hori Braj Hora celebrations

          Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh): Swimming with Lord Krishna? Visit the holy town of Vrindavan. Hindu devotees have gathered here in large numbers to see a huge canvas of Lord Krishna being put up in the middle of the River Yamuna, and then moved to the edge of the river to make their offerings and seek a wish. The event took place at Vrindavan's Keshi Ghat as part of the celebrations associated with the traditional Jai Hori Braj Hora festival. One of the events was the Chunari Manorath where devotees offer the chunri to the river and prayed to it for their well-being. The devotees also offered prasad and chunri (piece of cloth) to the lord and make a wish. The festival has so far attracted over 200,000 people from all over the country. "The culture of Brij can be seen in its festivities and what you saw today was the enthusiasm of people. This festival is known as Jag Hori Braj Hora. Holi is celebrated in a unique way in Braj. During this festival, the river Yamuna is offered a chunari",said Abhishek Goswami, one of the organisers of the event. "Jai Hori Braj Hora is celebrated on Keshi ghat in Vrindavan because we are trying to spread awareness about the pollution in River Yamuna. Till today over two lakh people have participated in the festival," added Abhishek. Holi is celebrated on a large scale in Vrindavan as it is associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha. Celebrations relating to Holi are spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as in neighbouring Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation. Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality. Devotees from all over the country come and pray, especially couples. Some of them are already so engrossed in their prayers, that they are unable to describe their feelings in words. "We felt very nice on the ghat of Keshi in Vrindavan amidst so many devotees. It felt so nice that it cannot be described in words," said Shashikala, a devotee from Mumbai. "I have seen Chunri Manorath programme but what I saw today was amazing. It was for the first time that I saw that stage was built in the river and chunri was offered at dusk",said Kanta Maheshwari, another devotee. As per the Shrimad Bhagwad...Once it so happened that all the Gopis (cowherds) became very proud of the fact that they were in the service (seva) Shree Thakorji (Lord Krishna). Realising their growing sense of pride, Lord Krishna along with Shree Swamiji vanished from the scene. Their disappearance led to a lot of confusion among the cowherds, and in the course of their search for Lord Krishna, they sang a number of mournful songs called Gopigeets. They searched high and low for the Lord, including in plants and other beings, but were unsuccessful in their mission. Feeling lost without their Lord, they asked the River Yamuna about the Lord's whereabouts. Unable to bear their plight, the river goddess appealed to Lord Krishna to reappear and pardon them, which he did. And in celebration of his reappearance, and as a thanksgiving, the Gopis performed the Chunari Manorath of Shree Yamunaji. And henceforth the pratha is followed by Vaishnavs too. The festival began on February 23 and will end on March 25.
Mar 17, 2005

Maha Shivratri celebrated

         Varanasi/Sringar: Hindu devotees took the holy dip in Ganga in Varanasi on Tuesday on the occasion of the Maha Shivratri festival. Elaborate security arrangements were made for the event. Some 20,000 police personnel were posted at the site to prevent any mishap. The Hindus celebrate Maha Shivratri by observing a day long fast and making offerings of flowers, sweets and incense at Shiva temples. "This is the city of Lord Shiva, people come here to relieve themselves of their pain. All the temples here are full of devotees of Lord Shiva," said Ramanand, a Hindu priest. According to Hindu mythology, Maha Shivratri signifies the marriage of Lord Shiva with the goddess Parvati. Shiva is the Hindu God of destruction and resurrection. The Shiva Lingam, the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva, made of stone or metal, is also worshipped throughout the night by washing it frequently with milk and honey or rosewater while chanting hymns. In Srinagar city, Kashmiri Pandits thronged temples to pray for their families and loved ones during Maha Shivratri.
Mar 8, 2005

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