Eggs-tra special day: Goh (second from left), his wife Miko Xu, 37, (right) and sons (in pink) Jayden, seven and Oscar, four, checking out their Easter eggs at Perazim Mount Church as Cheah (in black blazer) looks on. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Christians gathered at churches in Penang to celebrate Easter in a grand way following the loosening of restrictions on public gatherings due to the pandemic.
At the Perazim Mount Church in Gelugor, many gathered as early as 8.30am for the morning mass yesterday.
Businessman Vanness Goh, 35, who came with his wife and two children, said he had not missed Easter celebrations in church for several years.
“I think Easter celebration is important for Christian families. It tells us how Jesus sacrificed for our sins,” he said.
Goh said he wanted his children to learn about Christianity as he believed the younger generation need to be instilled with good moral values.
He said attending church service allowed families to gather and express love to God and each other.
“We prayed for success in life and expressed our gratitude for what we have now,” he said.
Perazim Mount Church pastor Cheah Eng Soon said Easter Sunday starts with hymns of praise and worship at his church.“The service started at 9am and ended at about 11am,” he said.
Cheah said Easter was an important occasion in Christianity as Jesus Christ went through a great deal of suffering before dying on the cross, and being resurrected on this day.
He called on all Christians to pray for peace and to give thanks to Jesus for all his sacrifice.
He said the tradition of painting Easter eggs symbolised the renewing of faith and a victory for the Church.
At the gathering, the congregation renewed their baptismal vows after which pastor Cheah walked around and sprinkled holy water.
The parishioners also took part in the holy communion – a practice in accordance with Jesus’ instruction at the Last Supper.
At the end of the service, each parishioner received an Easter egg to symbolise Jesus’ resurrection, followed by a sumptuous lunch.
