May the festival of Easter deepen social harmony in the society: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended greetings to people on the occasion of Easter and wished for harmony in society.

"Happy Easter! May this special occasion deepen the spirit of harmony in our society. May it inspire people to serve society and help empower the downtrodden. We remember the pious thoughts of Lord Christ on this day," PM Modi said in a tweet.

Easter is celebrated to commemorate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Midnight Easter prayers were held at various churches in the country. People gathered at decorated churches and offered prayers on the holy occasion of Easter.

Various people assembled at Mount St. Thomas, the headquarters of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kochi on the night of Easter. Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal George Alencherry lead the midnight mass.

While addressing the mass, Alencherry said, "The Messiah rose for mankind. The resurrection of the Messiah is the triumph of mankind."

"The ministry of the Lord is the ministry that gives life and that is what we must continue".Praying for peace and harmony, Alencherry said, "Along with the Messiah comes the gift of God. Christians should think about glory. We should be able to cultivate a culture of purpose and life.""May there be peace in the church, in the family, and in the world," he added.

Easter prayers were also held at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi. The cathedral was decorated with lights giving an appearance as if the entire holy structure is glowing with a hue of orange and red. Devotees also burned candles and offered prayers.

The celebrations were also held at a church in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Here devotees could be seen holding candlelight inside the church and offering prayers.

Father Walter De Sa from a church in Goa explained the significance of Easter candles.

"We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the event we celebrate at late night. The new fire symbolizes our purification and newness of life. With this new fire we will light the candles which we call the Easter candles representing the Lord as He has said I am the Light of the World," he said.

People often witness Easter as a day of chocolate eggs, lambs and bunnies that celebrate spring's coming. These are folk traditions, the day celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.

According to the Bible, it marks the third day after Jesus was crucified when he rose from the dead.