Worshippers have gathered all around the world to mark Easter Sunday despite ongoing lockdowns and coronavirus restrictions.
In Myanmar, anti-coup demonstrators decorated boiled eggs to show their support for the protesters on the religious day.
The eggs were decorated with political messages and left on neighbours’ doorsteps and hung in bags on front gates.
In Myanmar, anti-coup demonstrators decorated boiled eggs to show their support for the protesters to mark Easter Sunday
Pictures posted on social media showed eggs adorned with Suu Kyi’s likeness and three-finger salutes – a symbol of the resistance – while others said ‘save our people’ and ‘democracy’
Friends and relatives place flowers in front of a memorial plaque commemorating the people who died in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka
People wear face masks as they attend an Easter Sunday mass service in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, amid ongoing Covid restrictions
A fire in the brazier is used to light a wick for the Paschal candle at Salisbury Cathedral in England during a socially distanced ceremony
Women dressed in traditional clothes of the Slavic ethnic minority community of Sorbs meet early on Easter Sunday to sing in front of a church in Schleife, Germany
Pictures posted on social media showed eggs adorned with Suu Kyi’s likeness and three-finger salutes – a symbol of the resistance – while others said ‘save our people’ and ‘democracy’.
One Facebook group promoting the egg protest urged people to be respectful of Christian traditions on Easter Sunday.
In Sri Lanka, security was stepped up at churches across the country to guard against a repeat of the 2019 suicide bombings that killed 279, a police spokesman said.
More than 12,500 armed constables were on duty outside close to 2,000 Sri Lankan churches, and were backed by military personnel.
‘We have also got the help the armed forces to patrol and reinforce police units across the country,’ police spokesman Deputy Inspector-General Ajith Rohana said.
One Facebook group promoting the egg protest urged people to be respectful of Christian traditions on Easter Sunday
The eggs were decorated with political messages and left on neighbours’ doorsteps and hung in bags on front gates
Christian devotees carry a partly damaged statue of Jesus salvaged from the rubble after the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing, during a Easter procession in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was shaken on Easter Sunday in 2019 when three churches and three hotels were targeted by alleged local jihadists in the largest single terror attack in the history of the country
More than 12,500 armed constables were on duty outside close to 2,000 Sri Lankan churches, and were backed by military personnel
Friends and relatives place flowers in front of a memorial plaque commemorating the people who died in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing
Sri Lanka was shaken on Easter Sunday in 2019 when three churches and three hotels were targeted by alleged local jihadists in the largest single terror attack in the history of the country.
At least 279 people were killed in the attacks, and around 500 were wounded.
On Sunday, police checked identity cards and bags before allowing people to attend the morning mass at St. Sebastian’s church north of the capital Colombo, where at least 115 were killed in the 2019 Easter attack.
Posters calling for justice were put up outside St. Sebastian’s, which was packed with worshippers on Sunday.
An elderly Catholic prays outside the Saint Peter Parish Church in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Christians wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus attend while maintaining social distancing during an Easter service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea
A Catholic priest blesses the congregation with holy water during an Easter Sunday mass service in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Malaysia recently eased its Covid regulations, allowing religious gatherings to operate at 50 per cent capacity with social distancing
Women in Germany dressed in traditional clothes of the Slavic ethnic minority community of Sorbs
Police stand guard outside a church in Indonesia amid tightened police security following the bombing last week at the Makassar cathedral
Members of the clergy attend the traditional Easter Vigil held in smaller numbers than in pre-pandemic years on the night of Holy Saturday in Portugal
Elsewhere, women in Germany dressed in traditional clothes of the Slavic ethnic minority community of Sorbs.
They gathered outside a church in Schleife to sing in the early hours of Easter Sunday.
In South Korea, churches only allowed 20 per cent of their normal capacity to attend services as Covid restrictions continued.
Christians wore face masks in the religious buildings and remained socially distanced to limit the spread of the virus.
In Salisbury, England, the Paschal candle was lit and carried into the cathedral by its bishop, The Right Rev. Nicholas Holtam.
People wearing face masks as a protection against Covid receive communion during an Easter Sunday Mass at the St. Peter Parish Shrine of Leaders, in Quezon City, Philippines
In Portugal, members of the clergy held a traditional nighttime Easter Vigil in smaller numbers than usual amid tightened rules
The lighting of the Paschal candle is lit every year at Easter in Salisbury and is used during the Paschal season and then throughout the year on special occasions, such as baptisms and funerals
The lighting of the Paschal candle is lit every year at Easter, and is used during the Paschal season and then throughout the year on special occasions, such as baptisms and funerals.
Rev. Holtam said: ‘The lighting of the Paschal candle from the new fire, in the half-light early on Easter morning, is a great moment of resurrection and new life.
‘The single candle is carried into the Cathedral and the proclamation of the Light of Christ fills the whole space. The light is spread round the Cathedral with candles held by all the baptised – truly the light of the world.’
In Portugal, members of the clergy held a traditional nighttime Easter Vigil in smaller numbers than usual.
