Easter celebrated with religious fervour

Christian community celebrated Easter with great religious fervour and enthusiasm throughout the country on Sunday.
Easter is culmination of the 40-day lent season, which is time of fasting, alms-giving, repentance and spiritual renewal.
It is the annual Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to absolve human beings from the eternal sin.
Special midnight services were held at all the churches to mark the beginning of the Easter celebrations.
RAWALPINDI: Bishop Anthony Lobo led the midnight mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral. Like in the past, the Christian community in Rawalpindi and Islamabad decorated their houses and churches on the occasion, presenting a festive look.
It is the most important feast of Christian calendar. Easter does not come on the same date every year, but falls sometime between March 22 and April 25. It is the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21.
The churches throughout the country offered special prayers for the integrity, solidarity and progress of the country, and for peace all over the world particularly, liberation of Kashmir from Indian subjugation.
LAHORE: Christian community living in the Punjab Capital celebrated Easter with traditional zeal and fervour on Sunday.
Churches were profusely decorated in the Punjab capital while priests led special services, and offered prayers for the national integrity, solidarity and prosperity of the country.
In this connection, a biggest congregation was held at the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection where Bishop Alexander John Malik and Primate Church of Pakistan led the main services.
In a message on the occasion, the Bishop of Lahore said: "The occasion aims at feast of love, tolerance and peace."
Christian-Muslim Unity Front (CMUF) chief Malik Imran Ahmed also congratulated Christian brothers on the eve of Easter and prayed for their happiness. He also visited various hospitals and distributed "Easter-eggs" among children.
Easter marks festival of the Christian Church commemorating the Resurrection of Christ that falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
KARACHI: The Christian community celebrated Easter here with early prayer in churches.
The prayer were followed by a pageant in a city suburb. The community members were reminded of crucification of the Jesus. Priests in their sermons highlighted the teachings of Jesus Christ and the events surrounding his crucification.
Around 10 am prayers were held again in the churches. The community went about celebrating the occasion with calm.
From mid-day onwards the community exchanged greetings and gifts. Presenting cakes to each other is one of the common forms of greetings on this day.