Once upon a sunrise: Recollections of Easter celebrations

Easter, celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has always been the grandest event in our household, even bigger than Christmas.

Although a lot has changed about how we celebrate the special day, one thing that I have always cherished the most is the Sunrise and the morning mass where the whole community comes together and waits for the sun to come up to celebrate the light, a symbol of hope and goodness.

I was introduced to Easter by my Dadu (grandfather), William Biplob Samaddar, who would be the most excited voice of the family crowd when it came down to the morning mass. Growing up under his guidance, I still remember how my seven other cousins and I could never sleep on the Saturday night, prior to Easter, overjoyed about going to the sunrise mass at 5:30 in the morning.

Every year on Easter, Baptist Christians gather together at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka for the sunrise mass to start the morning together, forgetting all sorrows and hardships.

We would all have our new dresses, shoes, jewellery, and other accessories neatly organised for the next dawn. We would often doze off a couple of hours after midnight only to wake up a couple of hours later with only 30 minutes to get ready.

Hurdling over each other's dressing table and closet for the last-minute touches, we would all cluster around my Dadu's Noah microbus with our parents still deep in sleep. The 30-minute ride from our home in Mirpur to Sangsad Bhaban would feel like a lifetime, with us eagerly waiting to join the morning choir that inaugurates the mass.

To ensure that we would be the first people to get the sun's rays, we would rush towards the front row upon arriving at the mass while the crowd will be lost in the verses of Geetobitan (book of sacred songs for Christians).

With the songs slowly fading away and the pastor steering toward his podium, we knew what would be coming next – the story of Jesus' resurrection.

Following up with the Christian belief, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and a few others did not find Jesus in the tomb he was buried in on the third day of his death when they visited the place moments before sunrise to anoint him after he was tried, tortured, and executed by crucifixion.  They were startled by a voice that called them out and as they turned, they saw Jesus, dressed in a white robe that radiated light, smiling at them.

With the story coming to an end and the pastor closing the mass with a prayer, we would run off to meet and greet our friends, relatives, and others we know only to spread the joy we had in our hearts.

With time, a lot has changed, and so did the location of the morning sunrise mass. This year, the morning mass is being held in different parts of Dhaka on 9 April, Easter Sunday – at the playground of Rajdhani High School on Manik Mia Avenue, near Bangladesh Baptist Church Shangha in Mirpur 10, and the Christian area playground, Nadda. 

The last three years have been different because of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this year I am hoping it to be just like the old days.

I look forward to going back in time this Sunday morning as I walk barefoot towards the crowd, where we used to all be together once upon a sunrise. However, I will be without my Dadu, who I believe will be grinning upon me as the sun rays kiss my forehead before I begin my Easter celebrations.