An Easter of Facebook live prayers sans church visits in Kerala during lockdown
Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 12 (): This was a day whichused to be marked by special prayers, church visits, cookingof traditional delicacies from grandma's recipe books andjoyful get-togethers at relatives' houses.
But empty churches, virtual prayers, live-streaming ofholy mass and Facebook live/YouTube speeches of bishops andpriests marked the Holy Week and Easter Sunday in Kerala thistime, cutting across villages and cities due to the lockdownto halt the spread of COVID-19.
Easter marks the end of the Holy Week of prayers andpenitence recalling the final phase of Christ's life from hisarrest and cruxification, followed by resurrection. The virus outbreak and precautionary lockdown have giftedan unprecedented Easter Sunday to the traditional Christiansin Kerala, where the occassion would have otherwise beencelebrated with religious fervour and colourful festivities. According to the 2011 census, Christians comprise 18.38percentage of the total population of Kerala.
Adhering to the government's lockdown norms, people, eventhe ardent laity, kept away from churches and confinedthemselves in front of television sets or were glued to theirmobile phones to catch a glimpse of holy services at churches. Instead of sumptuous feasts with an array of ethnic mouthwatering non-vegetarian delicacies, many families limitedtheir menu to usual items. Giving a go by to house visits, a large number depended onWhatsApp video calls to get connected during the occassion. Sexagenerian Mariyamma Samuel was sad this morning as shecould not go to her nearby parish in Ranni,a high range hamletin the central district of Pathananthitta and offer prayers, apractise she had been religiously following since childhood. For the first time, she was seeing an empty churchcourtyard on Easter morning, which normally bustles with thehymns of Jesus Christ and the joyful chats of parishioners.
A retired school teacher, she and her husband waitedeagerly this morning for their neighbouring children to watchthe Facebook live of the Easter prayers in their mobile phone. "We don't know how to operate smartphones. So we havesought their help to watch the church services and specialprayers. Parishners were informed by the church that it willbe live on the Facebook," she told . As their son and daughter were away from home and norelatives could visit them due to lockdown restrictions,special delicacies were not prepared this time.
People in Ranni were extra vigilant as three Italyreturnees had tested positive, along with six relatives,including an elderly couple aged 93 and 88, in the second waveof the virus outbreak in the state, hailing from there.
86-year-old Rebecca Mathew from Chathannur in Kollamfelt "strain" to watch church services on the cellphone.
"This was a very different Easter from the usual.We couldnot attend Easter service in church. Some hymns and webcastsof services are available online, but I find it a strain towatch them on the small cellphone screen," she told . She said normally they have a 'sibling get-together' onEaster with three families meeting at one house by turns foreach meal of the day.
Each family would either bring a dish or make a fullmeal, cooking up something special, she said,adding they wouldalso make up food gift parcels to give their maids and otherhousehold help.
"This year, the families remained in their individualhomes. The traditional non-vegetarian dishes were also notthere" Rebecca, who retired as Deputy Controller of Patentsand Designs, a government of India company, said.
"Our two children and grandchildren have not been able tomake it here it due to the lockdown and my husband and me werehoping so much to see all of them," she said. An ardent devotee and regular church-goer, 32-year-oldRiya from Thodupuzha didn't hide her despair and sadness thatshe missed church services and other festivities this time. "Otherwise,we used to be at the church throughout the HolyWeek. My family is very particular that we should not miss anyritual.But there was no feeling of Easter this time...nochurch visits...no guests...and a very simple and normallunch...," she told . Detailing the lip smacking Easter delicacies, she said allkinds of meat, from chicken to pork,would be bought to preparetraditional dishes. The dishes and it's combinations would bedifferent in various Christian pockets in the state, she said. "We used to prepare chicken and egg curry, duck roast, porkvindaloo and so on.. stew and rice would also be there. Butthis time, we limited it to chicken only," the woman said. There was a shortage of pork and beef in the local market,may be due to the lockdown, she said, adding that the qualityof the meat also could not be ensured. In some places on the eve of Easter, heavy rush wasnoticed ay meat shops with police even using lathies to chaseaway people, who flouted the social distancing norms.
The traditional feast is served in Christian homes thisday, marking the end of the 40-day period of Lent whenbelievers shun luxuries and widely pleasures.
Meanwhile, major church denominations have given priorinformation to devotees about the live telecast of Easter massand church services through the YouTube channel and Facebookpage and their own devotional channels.
Only a very limited number of people, including bishopsand senior priests, took part in the church services and gavemessages of spiritual revival. LGK UD APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH