For millions of people in Britain and around the world, Easter Sunday is a time to come together.
Whether that’s going to a traditional church service, gathering for a special meal or soaking up the delights on spring on a countryside walk.
But Easter celebrations were the most muted many of us have ever experienced. Separated by social distancing and bans on gatherings and non-essential travel, Easter 2020 was a sombre experience for many.
This was a lockdown Bank Holiday weekend that few will ever forget.
Children’s Easter egg hunts were cancelled as parks and open spaces can only be for exercise only. On one of the warmest Easter Sundays for years, beaches were almost deserted.
Motorways that would usually be clogged with traffic, with people visiting relatives or heading to an event, were the quietest they have been for decades.
A heavy police presence in many beauty spots meant those flouting the rules by meeting up with friends or family were ordered to move on or be hit with fines.
Although some ignored the life-saving restrictions by sunbathing or congregating in groups, there were fewer scenes of deliberately anti-social behaviour.
Most notable of all were church services taking place online, rather than in front of large congregations packed into pews.
Across the country, many churches shut. In some, a solitary vicar or priest live-streamed mass for worshippers to watch from home.
Pope Francis delivered his annual Easter message from an empty St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, amid strict lockdown measures in Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic.
In normal times, tens of thousands of worshippers would have gathered outside the basilica in St Peter’s Square to listen to his address.
In a message broadcast online, the pontiff called for global solidarity to fight the virus.
He said: “This is not a time for indifference because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united.”
He urged political leaders to work “for the common good”, also warned that the EU risked collapse and he called for debt relief for poor nations.
The Pope said: “This isn’t a time for self-centredness because the challenge we’re facing is shared by all.
“Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time.” Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury praised frontline workers for their “heroism” during the crisis.
Justin Welby led the first national online Easter Sunday service from his kitchen at Lambeth Palace, in South London.
He normally presides over a congregation of 1,500 people at Canterbury Cathedral on Easter Sunday.
But in a low-key address, he said: “After so much suffering, so much heroism from key workers and the NHS, we cannot be content to go back to what was before as if all is normal.
“There needs to be a resurrection of our common life.”
He assured worshippers that we are all in this together. “So many people across the country are anxious about employment, food, are isolated from loved ones and feel that the future looks dark.
"People across the globe feel the same uncertainty, fear, despair and isolation. But you are not alone.”
Regarding the closure of churches, Mr Welby said the decision had been taken “with much pain and much thought and much prayer”. But he said it was vital that people follow the advice on social distancing.
He said: “I’m unhappy with it. I would love to be at Canterbury Cathedral... it would be much better. But we are here to set an example. It’s not about us.
"We have said this is how you care for your flock and... share in the suffering of the nation and set an example, and care for others and look after them, and stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
It comes after the Queen reassured Brits that “the coronavirus will not overcome us”, in her first Easter audio message.
In a speech posted online on Saturday, she said: “This year, Easter will be different for many of us but by keeping apart we keep others safe. But Easter isn’t cancelled. Indeed, we need Easter as much as ever.
“The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this.
“We know that coronavirus will not overcome us.
“As dark as death can be, particularly for those suffering with grief, light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.”
