Christians in Bangladesh formed a human chain and rally in the capital this week demanding that the government declare Easter Sunday a public holiday. Source: EWTN News.
The Bangladesh Christian Association organised the demonstration on March 31 in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, calling on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to add Easter to the government’s official holiday calendar.
Bangladesh’s 600,000 Christians – less than 1 per cent of the country’s 170 million people – receive one public holiday for a Christian feast: Christmas Day.
Muslims, who make up about 91 per cent of the population according to the 2022 census, receive multiple public holidays for their major religious celebrations, including several days for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Hindus, who constitute about 8 per cent of the population, have two days off for their main religious festival, Durga Puja.
Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze, OMI, of Dhaka, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, has expressed his solidarity with the demand for a holiday on Easter.
“Since we do not have a government holiday on Easter Sunday, we cannot all celebrate this day together. Many cannot go to the villages, and we cannot all observe the religious customs that are in place before Easter,” Archbishop D’Cruze said.
“I also demand the government to declare a public holiday on Easter so that we Christians can celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ together in family, social, and religious ways.”
Bangladesh Christian Association President Nirmal Rozario said the demand for the holiday is long-standing.
“We have come here with a heavy heart and are standing in front of the Press Club. Easter Sunday is very important to us after Christmas. Jesus is the only person in the history of the world who has risen after death. We are demanding a public holiday on this important and significant day, Easter Sunday,” Mr Rozario said.
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Bangladesh Christians form human chain demanding Easter public holiday (By Stephan Uttom Rozario, EWTN News)
