Childhood Memories of Easter
Easter, a cultural holiday celebrated the world over. People rejoice in good company, with family and friends, in church for prayers and at home to share a delicious meal. In learning more about it, I found out that Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But that in itself seemed like a very abstract idea, for me at least.
A bit of background as to how this story came about.
I am not one who celebrates Easter per se. Sitting down on this day, however, I reminisced about how the idea of Easter has evolved for me over the years; at first a small boy overjoyed with the idea of painting on magically emptied eggs by his mother (I am still not quite certain how she did it but I found it cool), later on a young kid waiting for his mother to return home with chocolate shaped as bunnies and giant eggs from work (one time she got so much of it we had no room in the fridge and honestly, I cannot describe the feeling of being allowed to eat as much of it as I wanted since it was better than ants getting the best of it or letting it melt away in the open, hallelujah!). For the rest, most of it went unnoticed, granted I wasn’t obliged to go to school on that day, which never excited me anyway. These are my Easter memories.
A New Perspective on Easter in Myanmar
This changed for me when I celebrated it with my German girlfriend and her family in Myanmar. That, was something radically different, new, good new. It brought all of us together. A day spent with the family. We woke up and rushed hunting for our hidden easter presents; they were in the corner of the top window, in the garden, behind the house, all over the place…it was so much fun! Little personal notes, words of gratitude addressed to each other with our favorite candies, followed by the most beautiful breakfast table ever! Needless to say I felt a bit stupid since I was only on the receiving end. I was not aware of this tradition nor did I expect this. But I remember how much happiness it brought, the spirit of it. We celebrated the following Easter in Myanmar as well. This was one of my most cherished personal Easter experiences.
The Symbolism of the Easter Egg and the Myanmar Revolution
My two most memorable Easters were there. Obviously, I am thinking a lot about this place and its lovely people this year, given the ongoing revolution in Myanmar, and me being so far away. That is where the idea for this photo came from. Easter is a symbolic event, the Easter egg is a symbol, the message in this photo is the following:
Although I don't personally celebrate Easter, I wish to dedicate this day and this thought to an Easter egg adorned with the three-finger salute, a symbol of the Myanmar revolution. This gesture signifies my support for Myanmar and their ongoing struggle for freedom, peace, and justice, as well as their unwavering belief in humanity and their admirable determination to fight for it with their lives.
To the heroes who died in this fight, Rest in Power.
Harnessing the Power of Easter for Positive Change
We can all take a few moments on this day to think of those who are less fortunate than us. Easter is the celebration of life over death, the celebration of hope. I am not a religious person by any means, but I do believe in humanity. A bit of reading online helped me understand why so many people celebrate this day, which brought me to this thought that I want to share;
Easter is a holiday in most parts of the world, where it is celebrated. A holy day, a sacred one, by definition, which brings together people of faith (and others as well, like myself), all of whom believe, to some extent, in the same thing. It would be worthwhile remembering what this belief is, where it came from, what it stands for and why it is celebrated. With nearly 2.5 billion Christians on the planet, imagine what can be achieved if this one day was put forth into actionable thought.
Let's use our Easter celebrations as a reminder to spread hope, support others in their fight for freedom, and work together towards a world filled with peace, love, and compassion. By focusing on Easter and hope, we can help create positive change in our communities and beyond.