Usually, Easter weekend is a time of celebration. To Christians around the world for whom the holiday signifies the basis of their faith, it is typically a time of rejoicing and reflection. For those who don’t adhere to the religion, it is a time to gather with friends and family, enjoy a good meal and mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
This year, Easter promises to be both unusual and memorable. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt all aspects of life, churches are scrambling to move their celebrations online (page 1) while other community events are cancelled (page 12). Certainly, we will remember this year for how bizarre and strange the last month has been.
It may be difficult to feel a sense of joy this holiday weekend. We cannot gather, either as faith communities, families or friends. Our usual traditions – Easter egg hunts and feasts – are on hold this year as we all do our part to flatten the curve.
However, as several local pastors told our newspaper this week, the message of Easter weekend is as poignant in 2020 as ever before. As news abounds on a daily basis of illness, death, economic devastation and uncertainty, unemployment, anxiety and fear, taking a moment to celebrate joy, hope and life conquering death feels especially appropriate, regardless of religious tradition.
Around Airdrie, those slivers of hope are already appearing – in impromptu parades to thank essential workers, in messages written in chalk on fences, in hand-drawn signs and Easter eggs appearing in windows around the city and in everyday acts of kindness.
Our wish for our readers this Easter is that you can also find a sense of hope and joy in these difficult times. Although, at this point, it has become a cliché, we are all in this together and, hopefully, as a community, Airdrie will emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever.
