Easter 2023: Families celebrate with picnics, kite flying, games in Easter festivities

Thousands of persons spent their Easter Monday at several grounds, beaches and seawalls around the country in celebration of the Easter holiday this year. Families and persons from all walks of life were out in their numbers around Georgetown to fly kites.
Both adults and children gathered all along the Georgetown seawall, the National Park, Botanical Gardens among other grounds and open spaces where they picnicked, cooked, and flew kites. Several families even pitched tents to shade them from the scotching sun while others used trees as their shade. Women and children could be seen flying kites while the men in the family were grilling meat for the entire family.
Several vendors also took up spots along the area to ply their trade.
Speaking with this publication, several families shared that it was joyous to be out celebrating the holidays after being unable to do so for such a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the previous restrictions.
Shawn (only name given) shared that due to the pandemic, he was unable to be outdoors with his family and enjoy the tradition of flying kites and hanging out on Easter Monday with his friends as was traditionally done.
“Easter nice man. Jesus died and rose again and he died…for everybody. COVID was bad, last year [we] didn’t get to go anywhere…[we] had to be indoors,” Shawn told Guyana Times.
Another citizen shared that she really enjoys being out with her husband and children celebrating the holidays, highlighting that it makes her happy to be out and about again after the pandemic.
“We enjoying Easter…after a long time. So now we’re enjoying Easter with the family outside and I’m having a nice time. Since the COVID we didn’t get to celebrate Easter,” she shared.
Other persons also chimed in and shared their experiences when celebrating the holidays, sharing that it is traditional to go out and fly kites with their spouses and children. Even foreigners who have been residing in Guyana for years now shared that Easter has become a holiday that they look forward to and it created quality time to spend with their children, who enjoy kite flying.
Joining in the Easter Monday celebrations, President Dr Irfaan Ali, his wife, Arya and son, Zayd, were at the Everest Cricket Club ground. While there, President Ali flew a kite with his son and joined in a friendly game of cricket and dominoes with persons there. Easter is a Christian celebration that is dedicated to observing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In his Easter message, President Ali said that the One Guyana mission calls on citizens to help unify Guyana and bridge gaps by reaching out to those in need.
He also spoke of the importance of persons pledging to be “torchbearers of hope” and serving the people, demonstrating along the way that there are still caring and compassionate people.

“Let us all pledge to be torchbearers of hope. Let us become a light to others by being of service to them and particularly, to those who may be encountering unfortunate circumstances. Let us demonstrate that we are caring, considerate and compassionate people by reaching out to them in love, comfort and support.”
“The One Guyana mission will help bring our people closer together and to be instruments of hope to our fellow brothers and sisters. Let us continue to work each day to make this mission successful in uniting our nation,” President Ali further said in his message.
Wishing everyone a joyous Easter, he noted that the day contains a powerful message of not falling victim to despair. While life may have its challenges, there is also a sliver of hope that persons should not lose sight of.
“Easter celebrates the certainty of the victory of hope. When everything seemed lost, the resurrection restored hope and became a source of joy for the early followers of Christ. The Easter story reminds us not to succumb easily to despondency and despair.”
“Amid the disappointments which life’s challenges sometimes present, there is always a sliver of hope, one that reminds us that life overcomes death, love surmounts hatred and hope triumphs over hopelessness.