Happy Easter! It’s time to count your blessings, say celebs

From making Easter eggs and eating it, to celebrating the festival after a sombre Lent, celebrities look forward to Easter festivities, explain why it is more important than Christmas and what they enjoy the most on this day.

Keith Sequeira

Growing up, Easter was always a time with family. It came after Lent, a somber time, when one fasted, prayed and Easter is the culmination with the celebration of resurrection of Jesus. This year, Rochelle and I will be celebrating Easter together as we are unit and a family. It is our way of understanding and celebrating the blessings we have in our lives. We will have a quiet lunch at home. As a kid, I didn’t understand most of the spiritual part of the festivities but would love the Easter eggs, making and later eating them. Enjoying them are my most memorable Easter experiences.

Rochelle Rao

Festival of Easter is more important than Christmas, even though it doesn’t get that much attention because it symbolises everything Jesus came to accomplish on Earth. That is love, freedom, truth, eternity and salvation. I remember, growing up, midnight mass which would be a candlelight ceremony. And at one point, they would switch off lights and we would only have a candle in our hand and it would be so beautiful. I remember, the moment of silence and everyone praying. It was a time for introspection! For me, Easter brings memories of celebrating with family and friends and enjoying it over an Easter brunch.

Usually, we attend a church service on Easter Sunday morning and follow it up with brunch. This year, the celebrations will be subdued due to coronavirus. We will have a digital church service and it will be lunch for us with maybe a few friends coming over to share the meal with us.

Erica Fernandes

Easter is supposed to be a bigger festival than Christmas but, unfortunately, it’s not celebrated like Christmas. On Easter, families gather together for a meal, mostly lunch. We make Easter eggs that day as a traditional Easter sweet. As kids, Easter used to be fun as we used to enjoy the process of preparing for Easter by making sweets and chocolates. This year, Easter will be like last year, which is a family lunch at home. Moreover, mostly, Easter has always been a private family lunch affair. So, the new thing this year is that I have turned vegetarian, so my mum will have to cook vegetarian dishes for me, separately.

Remo Dsouza

My wife Liselle is Anglo Indian and looks forward to Easter celebrations. A grand lunch with an elaborate spread is a must in our home. Her mum and dad come over every year but unfortunately, her mum passed away three years ago, so it will be just her dad. And my parents too come over but they are not in the city, so it will be just our family. The good thing was that Good Friday was on Friday and it was an auspicious day and it was my birthday too! I am not a foodie so I am okay with any good food. But Liselle ensures and makes a lot of wonderful dishes with love which we all enjoy. My contribution is to show up! (laughs).