Thousands celebrate Easter festivities outside after two-year hiatus

Guyanese turned out in their numbers on Monday, to celebrate Easter, after two years of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Easter, a significant religious holiday signifies the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To celebrate, families get together for picnics, visit the beach, play outdoor games, and fly kites.

A regular feature in Guyana, activities to mark this holiday were put on hold, following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020.   

Two years later and the lifting of restrictions by the government, DPI, took its cameras to communities along the East Bank Demerara corridor, where excited residents expressed extreme pleasure being back out to enjoy the holiday in the traditional way.

Gary Adams, who hails from Diamond, took the opportunity to teach his son to fly a kite. He said it was a joy to be celebrating the holiday with his son.

“Real nice, yeah real nice, lovely. Why, because two years… I does always fly kites since I know I small and duh is a fun for everybody when the kites rise, the lord rise for the Easter. This is my son and after two years, I glad fah fly kite with he again like today, let he enjoy he self.”

Fourteen-year-old, David Singh who had a six-foot kite said he anticipated great pleasure from reeling in the enormous kite.

“We are going out with the boat where we get to enjoy with, we family and my father make this big kite where we use to get more fun with because when is time fah it come down back all a we does gah hold on to it fah pull it down back, and it does be a hard time and duhs wah we does get most fun with, with the kite them.”

Rahul Persuad said, “honestly, due to the Covid, everything was in doors and we usually just go to church, but it is nice to just come out and fly kites you know, have fun with the family.

Michael Anthony shared similar sentiments. “Well, glad for now because the pandemic was hard suh I glad we get back we freedom.”

Another resident, Andrew Lagnan said, “It feel very nice fah celebrate Easter after two years because of the corona thing and you know with the corona thing you couldn’t have come out and fly no kite, but now we getting a lil chance to fly after two years, it feels very nice.”

Ministers of government, during last week and the weekend, fanned out across Guyana, distributing kites to especially vulnerable communities.

The Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali initiative sought to ensure everyone got the opportunity to participate in one of the main activities of the Easter holiday.

Last month, the president announced the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, a move, he said was in keeping with his government’s plan to fully reopen the country.