Easter 2021: Egg Hunts And Services In Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD —Easter celebrations across the country and in Bel Air will look different from ever before in 2021 as traditional events such as egg hunts and religious services will go on virtually as well as in person.

In Bel Air, there will be some Holy Week events held in churches, others in church parking lots and some shown on Zoom and YouTube. In some cases, churches are holding extra in-person events in order to accommodate more worshippers, while still maintaining social distancing. Many events require attendees to pre-register.

Mostly religious services went virtual during the Easter season last year, when the coronavirus pandemic was still fairly new and most states remained under strict shutdown orders in mid-April. This year, there’s more of a combination of virtual and in-person services taking place with the pandemic having passed the one-year mark.

Good Friday, on April 2 this year, marks the death of Jesus Christ. Easter, two days later, celebrates the time when he was resurrected. The Sunday holiday always occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon of spring, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Religious traditions on Good Friday include periods of silence and fasting for many Christians, prominently in the Catholic faith.

At Bel Air's St. Margaret Catholic Church, the Good Friday Celebration of the Lord's Passion will be held in-person and streamed live on the church's YouTube channel.

On Easter Sunday, the church will have three in-person Eastern Sunday Masses in order to accommodate as many attendees as possible, while maintaining social distancing. Sign-up is required by May 30, and no walk-ins are allowed.

Bel Air United Methodist Church will host an Easter Sunday sunrise service outside and have both outside and in-person Easter services later in the day.

Christ Our King Presbyterian Church will have outdoor and online services during Holy Week. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be on Zoom and Facebook. On Resurrection Sunday, a sunrise service and 10 a.m. service will be held in the church parking lot. A pre-recorded version of the 10 a.m. service also will be available on Zoom and Facebook.

Bel Air's Grace Assembly of God church will hold a Fan Jam this Saturday and Sunday, with jugglers and Easter egg hunts for all ages. Registration is required. Additional Fan Jam activities have been added to make social distancing easier.

At the event, masks are mandatory, temperatures will be taken and instead of having candy in plastic eggs during the egg hunts, participants can exchange their eggs for a bag of candy.