Easter, done the Washington way

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Feet will be washed and eggs will roll as Washington residents celebrate Holy Week, with religious, cultural and regional traditions.

Christians believe Jesus died on a cross on Good Friday to cleanse man’s sins and rose to heaven Sunday.

“It’s really a celebration of the history of salvation,” said Monsignor Ronald Jameson of D.C.’s Cathedral of St. Matthew, which will see 5,000 visitors Sunday.

Easter Sunday is the year’s most widely attended service, Archdiocese of Washington spokeswoman Susan Gibbs said. Attendance at the 140 area Catholic churches could easily double, reaching 300,000, she said.

Popular ceremonies throughout the region include foot-washing on Thursday, representing when Jesus washed his followers’ feet. Friday, the Washington National Cathedral will have a three-hour prayer service in the morning and a brief evening service with candles and chanting. The cathedral will hold an Easter vigil Saturday evening and welcome new church members, the Rev. Canon Carol Wade said.

Many churches, like Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Bethesda, will hold sunrise services Easter morning. Three Bethesda churches will hold a community walk, spreading the service through three locations, Pilgrim Lutheran Church Administrative Assistant Sandra Schaeffer said.

Easter also has roots in pagan spring ceremonies, from which egg hunts and the Easter Bunny came. The White House hosts one of the country’s most visible traditions Monday: the Easter egg roll, when thousands of participants roll eggs across the lawn.

At Gadsby’s Tavern Museum in Alexandria on Saturday, children can hunt for eggs and hear local history stories along the way, Assistant Director Liz Williams said.

Residents’ cultural backgrounds often dictate how families celebrate Easter. Many visitors to the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family will create pysanky, eggs intricately decorated using wax and a stylus, Pastor Nestor Iwasiw said.

Polish-Americans prepare a special Easter basket blessed at church; each ingredient has symbolic significance, American Center of Polish Culture Executive Director Monika Krol said. On Monday, some take part in Dyngus, a lighthearted tradition where young people pour buckets of water on each other.

A custom celebrated largely by Hispanic Christians on Friday is Via Crucis (“Way of the Cross”). Parishioners re-enact Jesus’ walk toward crucifixion, carrying crosses and statues. The largest in the area will take place in Takoma Park and Silver Spring, where 2,000 people will march and sing hymns in three languages, Gibbs said.

Melissa.Frederick@dcexaminer.com

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