Easter celebration begins amid coronavirus pandemic

The Easter celebration has begun on Friday across the country through marking the Good Friday without outdoor activities and gathering as the country is going through various restrictive measures following coronavirus outbreak.

People were not seen to wear new Easter clothes and no bonfire will take place on Saturday, the Easter eve. Bonfire originated from an old belief of turning the witches aside.

The celebrations, however, remain limited in exchanging gifts and greeting cards.

All the government, semi-government and private offices including bank remained closed from Friday to Monday and resume on Tuesday.

Many markets and shopping malls will remain open for limited hours in separate schedules during the holidays while many will remain closed. The business organisations decide their own opening hours as retail opening hours have been de-regulated during the recent years.

National monopoly alcohol retailer Alko remained closed on Good Friday, as well as on Sunday and Monday. Its outlets are open on Saturday. Easter eve programmes will be not held as per the tradition due to the exceptional situation. The children will be not seen to visit door to door wearing special dress with the greetings of the Easter this year.

Easter Sunday will be observed without any major festivity all over the country on the last day of the week as elsewhere the globe commemorating the religious believe of Christian community about Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead after his crucifixion.

Earlier, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) urged people to spend Easter this year at home with family following the worsening coronavirus situation across the country.

The request has been made as reducing social contacts will reduce the risk of being infected with coronavirus, everyone should consider how they could minimise contacts both in their daily lives and during Easter holidays.

A person in quarantine or isolation cannot travel, and the quarantine or isolation must be spent in a location specified by an infectious disease doctor.

The THL recommended that leisure travel, both domestically and abroad, should wait for the epidemic situation to improve.

However, if anyone has to travel outside one’s local area, it is particularly important to check in advance the instructions issued by the local authorities for one’s destination area and the restrictions in force there.

According to Christianity, Easter culminates the passion of Jesus which is preceded by the season of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer and penance.

Easter Day is celebrated in the Christian world as a festival marking Jesus rose from the dead and lives forever.

Jesus had told his followers before his arrest that he would be crucified and on the third day he would rise from the dead. Sunday is the third day from the Good Friday.