Africa is a big continent. Its population as of 2016 was 1.2 billion. About 24% of Africa’s population practices Christianity and in the countries where the population of Christians is the majority, the Easter holidays are a big occasion on the calendar.
Easter in the African countries where Christians are the majority is celebrated with the following markers:
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National Holiday: Most of Africa celebrates Easter by declaring it a national holiday where people don’t report to work during this weekend. I found that for most businesses that work on Saturdays, they will allow their employees to take Friday and Monday Off but report to their work stations on Saturday.
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Church Attendance: With religious Christians, attending church is an important part of celebrating Easter. Church services happen in the morning and before midday for most of the churches in my town.
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Parties: For those who are able to, Easter is marked with parties where people visit their friends and relatives and share a meal. The party may involve a barbeque.
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Out of town Trips: Many of the city dwellers take advantage of the long weekend to plan a long trip away from the city. These may either be road trips or visits to relatives who were last seen during Christmas.
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Visiting Relatives: African families are really close-knit and visiting each other is a good way of maintaining this bond. Families would normally organize get-togethers where they get to interact and bond with.
Q: Is there an Easter Bunny in Africa?
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