Easter Season usually reigns as the ideal holiday for families to come together and celebrate the Rising of Christ, if you follow a Christian faith, or even, for some, to simply gather with those whom you might not see so often. Many people, to an extent, according to Connie Chow (founder of dailycaring.com), use Easter as a marking of the entrance into Springtime. Most have their annual traditions; for my family growing up, we,--my younger brother and I--would check early in the morning to observe what the Easter Bunny stuffed our baskets with. This early awakening for my parents would be followed quickly by mass before heading out to my Aunt’s house for an early-dinner. The same events would happen every year.
However, with COVID-19 ravaging the country, it becomes difficult in these times to stick with tradition. Not only that, but being forced into staying closed off in our homes away from others becomes very monotonous, even on a holiday. While Easter might have been very different than in the past, there are multiple lessons that can be learned from this so-called “Zoom Easter.”
Why “Zoom Easter”? Well for starters, many people that I know are able to keep in contact with their families through the video-calling app Zoom, making large-party video calls much easier to connect. Everything today in this age is technological, so why not, for the time being, make Easter ‘digital’ as well?
The first lesson that brought about by the stay-at-home Easter might as well be change does not always mean bad. This is not to say that the events partaking in the world right now are not serious; instead I mean staying at home allows for certain changes in a person’s daily routine. That routine can bring about good changes. For one, my hometown parish offered a live stream of Easter Mass; while no one was allowed to attend, besides the Priest, Deacon, and cameraman, my father and I sat in front of the television as we watched the full-sermon. WithYourSpirit.com was one site that connected thousands of Catholics with over 1,500 masses live-streamed around the country.. Instead of rushing around trying to make sure everyone was put together to see the family, we each set aside our own goals for the day, and took the time to achieve our ‘Easter goals.’ While change might be difficult to adjust to, adapting to it allows for good to come out of the bad times.
Secondly, create new traditions and adapt to the older ones. For children, nothing matters except for the Easter Bunny and an overwhelming amount of candy. I believe that the idea of the mystical Easter Bunny should not be thrown away. While it might not be as safe to go all-out, keeping traditions, such as stuffing baskets or Easter egg hunts (if precautions are met while shopping for goods), becomes not only good for children, but it may also keep adults sane as well. The joy of witnessing a child’s face glow on a holiday morning can make the biggest grump feel bliss. Creating new traditions allows for families to come together, adding something special to the holiday.
Finally, and most importantly, the change in our traditions allows you to appreciate what you have, because no one can guarantee the future. Last April, not one individual would expect the current state of the world to be as such. Nothing is guaranteed for us. Families have been separated, people have passed away. We often forget what is most important in our lives until it is taken away from us. While we are thankful that many of us can Zoom call our loved ones, many people do not have this gift. What we see as a traditional Easter, one of the most important holidays in Christianity, has been brought to a halt. Next Easter, remember where you were a year ago, and spend those extra five minutes with your family without rushing home.
For the first time in months, my whole family--my father, mother, brother, and myself--sat down together for dinner. Oftentimes my brother will take his plate and scurry away into his cave. However, on this Zoom Easter, we all talked about what was going on in our daily lives, laughed, and appreciated the fact that we could all be together. Perhaps we can, through this tragic event, create new traditions and even appreciate our families more than ever before.