Members of the Christian community celebrated Easter festival in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday with fervour and gaiety, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To mark the festival, several devotees began their day by observing a candle light ceremony at the graves of their departed relatives, a regular practice in the many districts of the southern state.

“My family members went to the grave of my father and paid respects. They placed flowers in reverence and lit candles to commemorate his memory at Gunupudi cemetery,” said Robinson Choppala from Bhimavaram in West Godavari district.

Many residences of the faithful were adorned with mini banners bearing biblical scriptures and messages proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Several churches held pre-dawn Easter services across the state while others commemorated the occasion during their regular service hours.

Pastor Sajja Ratna Kumar, who runs the Messiah Fellowship Church at the 100 feet road near Autonagar Gate, Vijayawada said nearly 1,500 people attended the Easter Sunday service.

“The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. No other person rose from the dead except Jesus,” said Kumar in his Easter service sermon, which also included the eucharist or the holy communion, one of the most important rituals in the Christian faith.

The Holy Communion is a sacrament commemorating the Last Supper, wherein Christians eat a small portion of consecrated bread, likening it to the body of Christ and sip a little wine, likening it to the blood of Christ, in remembrance of his supreme sacrifice.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu extended Easter greetings to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

“To send across a message that evil cannot prevail over righteousness for a long time, Christ resurrected within three days. I extend Easter greetings to Christian brothers on the day of resurrection of Lord Jesus for giving the message of peace to the world,” he said in a tweet.

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