Cultural ritual: The Dalmatian cross bearing Easter tradition that harks back to early years has been passed down from father to son over generations. Photo - Croatia.hr
There are several main cultures that make up the Kaipara district in Northland New Zealand.
The main ones
would be Maori, British, Dalmatian, Netherlands, Pacific Island, Indian and
Chinese.
How does each culture observe Easter in their
traditional settings?
Maori:
Catholic kapa haka
groups have been practising to go to Hokianga Harbour this year for the annual
Maori Catholic Easter Celebration, the Hui Aranga.
The event has been held every Easter since 1946. It attracts a mainly
rangatahi (younger) audience who compete in cultural performances, oratory,
debates, quizzes and sports.Opononi Area School is the venue this year and manuhiri (visitors) will be welcomed with a powhiri ceremony on Thursday morning.
Easter is a major religious
Christian festival observed throughout the world.
While marking the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, it also welcomes the spring season. The occasion
is celebrated with great joy, zeal and enthusiasm throughout the world and New
Zealand is no exception.
Easter in New Zealand is known
by the Easter bunny. Though the festival is celebrated to commemorate Jesus
Christ’s resurrection, for Kiwis Easter is all about chocolate eggs and bunny
rabbits. For most of them, the festive occasion calls for a long lovely weekend
with lots of treats and holidaying.
Easter falls in autumn in
New Zealand, since it lies in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the retail stores and hospitality industries are closed on either Good Friday or Easter Sunday as it is considered illegal for them to be open on these religious occasions.
In earlier times, Kiwis are
required to attend church services to celebrate the death as well as the resurrection
of Jesus Christ and stay back home with their family over the Easter weekend.
However, in the modern New
Zealand, people use the weekend for socializing with friends, shopping and
planning weekend getaways.
Dalmatia:
http://centraldalmatiatouristboard.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/unique-traditions-in-dalmatia-easter.html
Dalmatia observes
a tradition where a single cross-bearer, assisted by acolytes, all dressed in
white robes and the acolytes carrying torchlit lanterns, walk a pilgrimage to a
certain destination.
The cross bearer and
acolytes, walk through the night, while singing their haunting religious chants
without interruption. Behind the acolytes comes the congregation and visiting tourists, who are becoming increasingly attracted to arguably the world's most unique religious procession. The procession has been internationally recognised and was granted UNESCO heritage status in 2009.
Each village on Hvar has its own procession, and they take place at different times during the week (see the Jelsa Tourist Board for more information), but the main event is the simultaneous processions of the communities of Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj and Vrboska, who all set off at 10pm on Maundy Thursday, moving slowly in the same direction.
As they approach the next village on the route, they visit the church to pray, before proceeding on to the next location.
The cross bearer, traditionally barefoot, carries the cross all the way, which can weigh between 10 and 18 kgs is usually several hundred years old very historic.
The main procession is that
of Jelsa, and the faithful make their way slowly to the main square on Good
Friday morning, where the exhausted cross bearer runs the final steps before
delivering the cross to the priest.
Netherlands:
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090410130552AAjCw31
Not
a big observance there (like it is in, for example, fanatically Catholic
countries such as Philippines) because even though technically around 30
percent of the population are Catholic or have been baptised as such (mostly in
the South), few people are still practising.
On
Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve, churches are normally quite full for the
special occasion, which is not usual on ordinary Sundays.
There is quite commerical significance to the holiday for easter eggs (paaseieren) and the easter bunny (paas haas).
People
can find bags of assorted, small chocolate easter eggs on display and on
special and many chocolate Easter bunnies or other Easter related treats. Also,
some shops may have Easter-related decorations or general Easter sales and
specials.There is quite commerical significance to the holiday for easter eggs (paaseieren) and the easter bunny (paas haas).
On Easter
Sunday and the following Monday, large bonfires called Easter Fires are lit at
dusk in sections of Northwestern Europe. This practice extends northward into
Denmark, Sweden and Finland, westward into the east of the Netherlands,
southward into Switzerland and Austria, and eastward into the German Harz
mountains.
In the
Netherlands, most of these fires take place in the provinces of Drenthe,
Groningen, and Gelderland, with the largest being in Twente, a part of
Overijssel. It is a Saxon, pre-christian tradition, that is still performed each year.
There are
several explanations of the meaning of these fires. The Saxons probably
believed that around the time of Easter, spring becomes victorious over winter.
The fires were supposed to help chase the darkness and winter away. It was also
a symbol of fertility, which works in a literal sense in that the ashes were
scattered over the meadows and thereby fertilised the soil.
The
pre-Christian meaning of Easter fires is hardly experienced anymore.
Nowadays
they are meant to bring the community together, which guarantees a pleasant
night combined with the consumption of gin or lager and snacks.
Pacific Island:
http://www.jasons.com/celebrate-easter-in-the-south-pacific
Easter
is a great time to visit the Pacific Islands, and each island celebrates it in its own
unique way.
People
dress up in Sunday best for church and Easter is no exception. It’s a time for
families to get together and spend the holidays with loved ones.
Samoa
Samoans,
for example, celebrate Easter by attending church services in the morning,
followed by a to'onai (lunch) and then they will spend time at home with the
family.
It’s
one of the most important events in Samoa’s religious calendar and even if
you’re not religious, it is an interesting spectacle to observe.
India:http://festivals.iloveindia.com/easter/traditions/easter-in-india.html
Exchange of gifts, church services and extravagant carnivals
are part of the festivities of Easter in India.
The
celebrations of Easter in India commence with Lent and culminate with Easter
Sunday.
Christians all over the country, especially
in Mumbai, Goa and the Northeastern states, make elaborate arrangements for
Easter festivities. Worshippers throng the churches for special prayers and
rituals on Easter Sunday.
Although people do not decorate Easter eggs
in India, they are well aware of the oldest tradition of the festival and
hence, make it a point to purchase beautifully decorated Easter eggs from the
stores and give them as presents for their children. During the festival,
Easter bunnies are also sold in the stores.
As a part of the festivities, people exchange
gift items with each other. China:
How people celebrate Easter varies widely.
For
Christians, the point of Easter is to commemorate Christ’s resurrection from
the dead three days after crucifixion.
Some
of the established churches with buildings treat it like a mini Chinese New
Year complete with red paper slogans called chūnlián on the church building and
in the homes, special bands or music, and special decorations.
At those established churches with buildings, Easter eggs might be
given as gifts or sold outside the church, and everyone attends a special mass
or service.
The
official Chinese Catholic churches are among those with big celebrations. In
them, new Catholics are also traditionally baptized on Easter. In recent years,
there has been a big jump in Catholic baptisms in Catholic churches on Easter.
Chinese Catholic Churches don't have an official connection to the Pope.However, smaller home groups might celebrate as family or friends quietly or even secretly saying simple prayers and talking about the resurrection of Jesus.
Non-Christians might take the opportunity to make special foods like Easter eggs to sell, and some malls in China, following the Western custom, might have special Easter sales in order to try to spur profits.
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