After Christmas, Easter is one of the major festivals that is celebrated by Christians. Following Good Friday, which is the day Jesus Christ was crucified, Easter marks the day when Christ resurrected and is a remembrance of new life. All over the world, Christians enjoy this festival by being close to their loved ones. However, for those living away from their families, Easter can be a lonely time. Two expats living in Gurugram, who recently shifted to India, tell us about Easter back in their country.
“I always enjoyed this time of the year. It is a time to enjoy nature, and also when one wakes up after a long winter sleep,” shares Rino Serra, who moved to India from Italy six months ago. “During this holiday, young people stay at a friend’s home or spend it in another city. A famous Italian saying is: ‘Natale con i tuoi, a Pasqua con chi vuoi.’ (Christmas with your parents, Easter with whoever you want),” adds Serra, who works as the Italian Chef De Cuisine at Westin, Gurgaon.
For Dan Curry, the director and principal of Vega Schools, Gurugram, Easter has become more than just a religious holiday. Curry, who moved to Delhi a year ago from the US, shares, “At home, we would wake up to Easter baskets. We could take one chocolate and then we would all go to church. The one time people in the US definitely go to church is on Easter.”
Egg-citing moments
A predominant part of modern-day Easter is the Easter egg hunt. The tradition refers to an Easter Bunny that lays eggs only to decorate and hide them as a symbol of new life. “Just like Christmas has Santa Claus, Easter is about Easter eggs. Earlier, we would boil eggs and dye them. Nowadays, we use plastic ones filled with chocolate,” says Curry.
Reminiscing Easter celebrations back home, Curry also shares that his favourite part of the festival was watching children participate in the hunt. “Watching the kids hunt for Easter eggs was fun. Sometimes, when they try to pick up an egg, the rest would fall off from the basket and other kids would then take them. It was chaotic, but so entertaining.”
A home away from home
So how are they celebrating Easter this year? Curry says it will be a quiet lunch with his wife. He adds that while living in the Middle East, he and other expatriates would often conduct a sunrise service on Easter. Unfortunately, he is yet to find like-minded people in Delhi to celebrate the festival with. Serra, in comparison, is very excited. Adding that he plans to make his favourite Easter delicacies—the Pastiera Napoletana, a popular Italian Easter dessert and Torta al Formaggio, a pizza part of Easter breakfast—for his new Westin family, Serra concludes, “It’s just the faces that are different, the feeling and excitement remains the same.”