T

he Easter holiday is coming next Sunday. After weeks of fasting and abstaining from earthly pleasures, many Christians will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on April 24.

They will celebrate masses for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

While many people commemorate the Passion, or crucifixion, of Jesus through stage performances, some (extremely) devout Catholics in Pampanga region of the Philippines go so far as to nail themselves to crosses on Good Friday.

The annual practice, which is not endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church, draws huge crowds and always manages to shock outsiders.

Russian Orthodox Christian congregations usually celebrate Easter together, bringing food to their churches on Saturday evening to be blessed by their priests. On Easter, they will eat together outside the church.

They will eat traditional delicacies, such as potato pancakes, paskha (a sort of cheesecake) and loaves of kulich bread.

Eggs are also part of the Orthodox observance of the holiday in Russia and Greece, with eggs dyed red using onion skins.

While most families and congregations celebrate Easter together, others make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the place where Jesus was believed to have risen from the dead.

Last year was a busy time for Jerusalem’s cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as Western and Eastern Christian denominations celebrated Easter on the same day. The Eastern Orthodox sects follow the antiquated Julian calendar, while the Western Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations use the common Gregorian calendar.

Thousands of pilgrims from six Christian faiths — Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic Christians from Egypt, Syrian Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox — flooded the old church.

Although festivities on Easter may be different from Christmas, the holy days are the biggest events in the Christian liturgical calendar.

Just as Jakarta celebrates Christmas, Jakarta also embraces Easter. Cute Easter bunnies and colorful Easter eggs have become the vital parts of the celebration. No wonder hotels and restaurants in the capital have been gearing up for Easter-albeit in a local way.

On April 23, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski will offer a three-hour Easter event for children, featuring local acrobats, egg coloring, storytelling and of course, an Easter egg hunt.

“Children who find the golden eggs will get a voucher for brunch at Signatures restaurant on April 24,” said hotel representative Shanti Setyaningrum.

The hotel’s Easter brunch will feature seafood on ice, a create-your-own-salad section, Japanese food, bubur ayam (chicken rice porridge), barbeque, desserts and free-flowing juices.

The hotel will offer cold dishes, such as vitello tonnato with tuna sauce and caper berries, grilled prawn salad with mango and pink peppers, and ham jelly with spring vegetables in shot glass.

Hot selections will include ravioli stuffed with ricotta and tomatoes, deep fried crispy ginger and garlic prawns, mashed potatoes with crispy garlic chips and beef fillet tournedos.

The menu will be completed by fresh baked breads, including traditional Easter cross buns.

“What makes the brunch on Sunday special is the presence of various sweet treats,” Shanti said.

Executive pastry chef Kevin Curry will craft cute lollipops and chocolate creations such as Easter bunnies, chicks, marshmallows and jellybean-filled Easter Eggs.

Romy Herlambang, a spokesman for the Hotel Mulia Senayan, said Easter Sunday at the hotel will feature rabbit races and Easter egg hunts for children under 10 years of age, as well as special dining experiences at the hotel’s buffet restaurants.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central Jakarta will offer a junior cooking contest and a drawing competition for children on April 24. Easter brunch will be held twice — at Lyon restaurant on April 23 and at Cinnamon restaurant on the next day.

French cuisine will be the signature of Easter brunch at Lyon, which will offer food buffet style and à la carte. Some special items on the menu are home-made duck rillettes, braised gammon ham and Norwegian salmon gravlax with honey, mustard and dill.

The distinguished à la carte menu in the restaurant will include roasted cod fish meuniére and braised beef short rib with buttered spaetzle.

Meanwhile, Easter delicacies at Cinnamon will include roast turkey, cured salmon and Eggs Benedict and Florentine.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel will offer games for children, including face painting and a bunny hop race.

Lobo, the Italian restaurant in the hotel will prepare a Domenica brunch featuring appetizers and a lavish à la carte main courses such as US prime sirloin, US scallops — all prepared by chef Mariano Liuzza.

Sunday brunch will also boast a free flow of the hotel’s seven signature martinis, including its Blackberry Martini and Chocolate Chilitini Martini.

Easter can be celebrated in many ways and with many meals. What’s your choice?