In my family tradition, we never travelled or visited for Easter. The focus for us was that this long weekend was a culmination of 40 days of prayer, fasting and giving to the less fortunate. It included church rituals of prayer at home and weekly stations of the cross. Walking the journey of Christ on Calvary. For us Holy week starts on Thursday with a special mass where there is the symbolic moment of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles. Good Friday is a solemn day, with prayer and a church service at 3 pm. We don’t focus much on food except for the main meal, which is fish on Good Friday. We would attend Holy Mass on Saturday night to celebrate the Resurrection and then we would have lunch with family on Easter Sunday to end the fast period.
This year there is a general state of mourning because of what the world is going through. I cannot participate in the rituals with the community due to COVID-19. I did walk the stations on Friday morning around my community because this was an outdoor event. Other services are indoors so I do not attend because I have a host of co-morbidities.
In terms of meals, we really do simple in my home. This Good Friday we had tin fish biryani, no fresh fish because my son who is a fisherman hasn’t had a catch and the cost of fresh fish is too much.
On Saturday we had an outdoor potjie (Stew cooked in a cast-iron pot on an open fire) which allowed us to gather outside gather with my mom and all my brother’s children, about 10 of us. We cooked on the fire and sat outside to avoid any risk of infection and no other family joined us.
On Family Day – Easter Monday, I spent the day visiting the graves of all the loved ones I’ve lost. It was also a day of eating up all the leftovers and drinking lots of water.
The families in my community had a very difficult holiday period for Easter. Social grants were paid on the 6th of April, after the holidays. Many woman-headed homes depend on their social grants for basic necessities.
I am unable to afford the luxuries of pre-COVID-19 times. No new dresses, no goodies, just some marshmallow eggs for the kids. Not being able to meet family or go to church is difficult. I have used gardening to help with my stress and to help balance my grocery budget. I plant some food around my house. I don’t have much space, so I use boxes and open patches.
