Easter in Tunis

A cross at l'Eglise Réformée de Tunis

Yesterday, Christians in Tunisia commemorated the death of Jesus Christ in Good Friday gatherings. At l’Eglise Réformée de Tunis (the Reformed Church of Tunis), some 40 people gathered to sing, pray and read the Bible.

Pastor Kamal was at the church with his group. “People in Tunisia have lost hope, like when Jesus was buried. But on the third day he rose, and hope is back again. People have hope because he rose.”

Dejla, a young Tunisian Christian, attended the Good Friday service at l’Eglise Réformée de Tunis. “There are different Easter traditions; it depends on the church. Last year, we decorated the church with palm leaves. Some churches stage a play to showcase what happened to Jesus a long time ago,” she said.

The service started with a prayer that was led in the Tunisian dialect. It was followed with songs in Arabic, and citations from the Bible. The worship leader then told the Easter story, as described in the New Testament of the Bible.

The Eglise Réfomée de Tunis building is 122 years old

The week of Easter is called Passion Week by some traditions, as it follows what Christians believe happened during the last week of Jesus’ life before he was killed, buried, and then rose again.

Here is a brief run-down of the Biblical account of Passion Week:

Palm Sunday: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The Jews of the city celebrated his arrival by laying palm trees on the road in front of him and shouting praise at him as the Son of God.

Tuesday: The Jewish religious leaders, angry at Jesus for disrupting their social hierarchy, plotted to kill him.

An Easter display at the Tunis Cathedral

Thursday, the Last Supper: Jesus, knowing he was about to die, shared a last meal with his closest followers, then went with them to a garden to pray. While at the garden, he was arrested by the Roman authorities when one of his disciples betrayed him, pointing him out to the guards.

Good Friday: Jesus stood trial. Though he could not be found guilty, Roman governor Pontius Pilate sentenced him to death to prevent a Jewish rebellion. The same people that celebrated his arrival into Jerusalem called for his death. Jesus was nailed to a Roman cross and died at 2 p.m. He was buried in a tomb.

Easter Sunday: Jesus rose from the dead and left the tomb. He appeared to his friends, alive and well.

Inside the Cathedral of downtown Tunis

Tonight the Cathedral in downtown Tunis will hold a candlelight vigil at 9 p.m.. Devotees will sing and pray and hold candles, symbolizing the wait for Jesus’ resurrection, culminating in a celebration at the end of the night. Tomorrow morning, they will hold mass in Italian at 9 a.m., and in French at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The church will be decorated with Easter lilies, which the priest told us symbolize new life and spring. “The most important thing is to relive the mystery of Christ that is central to the Christian faith,” he said.

Other churches, including l’Eglise Réformée de Tunis and St. George’s Anglican Church will hold 9 a.m. services, with celebratory meals afterwards. The services will be in French, and Arabic and English, respectively. Details can be found on their websites.

This article was co-written by Farah Samti.