Thread by @HistoryCeylon

Happy Easter Everyone!

Today, we look back at the history of Easter to our nation's relationship to this holiday and how we can learn to come together on this day in the midst of the present crisis...

#srilanka #history #easter #eastersunday #EconomicCrisisLK #GoHomeGota2022

The Holiday celebrates the resurrection of Christ. According to the New Testament, this occurred 3 days after he was crucified in 30 AD. This holiday concludes the 40 day period of fasting that began with Lent.

Specifically for our nation, Christianity probably first arrived around 72 AD after St. Thomas visited Kerala and his teaching spread southward. However, most of the nation's Christian population came from conversions during the colonial period.

In Jaffna specifically, missionary efforts during the 1800s were the most prominent as Christian organizations like the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) printed publications and established schools that helped developed Jaffna's intellectual community.

For those who celebrate, Easter Sunday is marked by attending Easter mass at their church. This is common in larger cities where people congregate to eat, pray and and feed those in need.

Most significantly, some of Sri Lanka's darkest moments have occurred on Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday 1942, as people were attending services, Japanese aircraft bombed Colombo bringing Ceylon the closet it ever was into WW2. 2000 military personal were killed.

More recently, an even darker moment for all Sri Lankans. That morning, 8 Islamic extremist suicide bombers attacked Churches and Hotels within Colombo and across Sri Lanka. Nearly 300 were killed and many more injured.

As we come together on this holiday, let us remember that it is not simply one for Christians but for all Sri Lankans. Whenever we are in crisis, we've always found a way to come together on Easter. Now with the current crisis, let's remember that history!

Correction: should be Islamist, not Islamic

Islamist - an advocate or supporter of Islamic militancy or fundamentalism.

Islamic - follower of Islam/relating to Islam.

Thanks for the correction from @ViranCorea