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The goal was to bring hope and happiness to these youngsters during such a difficult time for their homeland
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Prayers, celebrations mark Easter in UAE
Devotees at St Marys Catholic Church in Dubai after an Easter mass on Sunday. Multiple masses were conducted by churches in the UAE. - Photo by Juidin Bernarrd
Dubai - Thousands of UAE expats on Sunday celebrated the occasion spreading the message of peace and love.
Attending prayers, hunting for eggs, family get-together and loads of chocolate bunnies - it's Easter!
Thousands of UAE expats on Sunday celebrated the occasion spreading the message of peace and love. Churches around the UAE held multiple services throughout the day to celebrate Easter.
Father Michael Cardoz of St Mary's Catholic Church said that peace and love are among the many messages that comes with Easter Sunday in the Christian faith.
Father Cardoz said: "Peace should come from within each person's heart. Take away all of the negativity and show compassion, mercy, love and forgiveness and that's the core message for us."
Reverend Timothy Heaney of the Christ Church Jebel Ali said they held three services to celebrate Easter.
St Mary's Catholic Church held their first service at 3.30am, which was given in Malayalam, followed by services at 7am, 8.30am, 3pm, 4.30pm and 6pm. A service in Filipino was held at 7.30pm and the last one was at 9pm in Arabic.
"The first one, which we did at 5.30am, was a sunrise service and we held it on the roof of the church. Our 9.30am service was kind of a family service with lots of children. It was with the holy communion and an Easter egg hunt at the end.
"We hid the eggs around the church and the children had to go off and find them. The evening service was held inside the church, similar to the morning service, mainly for people who were at work today and couldn't get to either of the earlier service."
Nostalgia bites residents
UAE residents spoke to Khaleej Times on what they did on Easter Sunday, many who attended the Easter Sunday service in Church, a few who skipped church and went straight for the chocolate eggs instead, others who had a scrumptious family breakfast together and organised scavenger hunts for chocolate eggs.
A Filipino logistics manager in Dubai, Andrei Avila, attended the evening service at Church because he had work in the day time.
Avila, who has two young children, said: "During Easter, we gather around the entire family and other expats here. We had some activities for the children in the park and they hunted for eggs."
Jenna Stirland, a UK expat, said: "Easter has always been such a special time of year for me because it always falls around the same time as mine and my younger sister's birthday. In the UK, it is the first bank holiday of the year so spirits are high and it is nice to have time off.
"This year, because I'm living in Dubai, I've bought Easter eggs for my friends and we went for dinner together to celebrate and exchange eggs. It is nice that we can keep the traditions of our childhood alive even when we are living overseas."
Pakistani expat, Joelene Kenneth, went to the morning mass with her entire family, followed by another family get together.Kenneth said she has special memories of celebrating Easter with her family, including where her father would always reveal the spots of where the eggs were hidden because he was "terrible at keeping secrets".
Roxanne Mukhi, managing director at POP Communications, said she always spends Easter with her family. "I'm lucky that my parents live in Dubai, so we always go to lunch every year and this year we went to Salmontini at Mall of Emirates. One of my favourite memories is when we were younger and my parents would host Easter parties," she said.
Jason Mann, a South African in Dubai, has stopped going to church, he still celebrates the occasion with his loved ones. "Every morning on Easter, we would wake up and my dad would hide chocolate all over the house. Myself and my two other siblings would have a contest on who could find the most but, at the end of it, we always split it evenly and share with the family," Mann said.
Why eggs hold an important role in Easter Celebrations
By Ashwani Kumar
Egg represents new beginnings and a sign of new life. As per Christian belief, Easter egg is a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The egg is likened to the tomb from which the Christ arose.
Egg happens to be a chief ingredient of Easter celebrations. From breaking fast in church with pancake and egg curry to discovering hidden eggs being the favourite games for one and all.
Stores across the malls in the Capital sold different varieties of eggs for play and plate. "We have some 10-12 varieties of egg design for children to enjoy," a storekeeper at Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre said.
Restaurants across the Capital had special menu for the day and egg varieties topped the list. "We have egg chilly, fry, spicy grilled, nest, kebab, roll, mixed with eggplant and chicken. This is in addition to the many non-veg items," a chef at a hypermarket said.
Robin Joseph, working at a private firm in Abu Dhabi, has bought a dozen of Easter eggs and other food items for the feast. Hotels like Hilton, Le Meridien, St Regis and others offered an array of lavish spread to welcome guests with brunches and egg hunts.
At Tilal Liwa Hotel parents and children can engage in discovering eggs hidden across the hotel's garden. General manager Khaled Sharabassy said it was time for 'egg-citement' at the hotel. "Easter is a holiday celebrated worldwide and gives us the opportunity to spread happiness among guests in diverse and fun ways," he said.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com, reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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