Patna: The decorated churches across the city reverberated with the hymn ‘Gloria’ as thousands of Christians visited churches with their families to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.Christians attended special prayer services and participated in processions, followed by feast ceremonies organised on Saturday night at various churches, which continued till early Sunday morning.Parish Priest Fr Joachim Ekka OFM Cap, along with Assistant Parish Priests Fr Pradeep and Fr Suresh Xaxa, led the Holy Mass at Padri Ki Haveli in Patna City, celebrating Jesus Christ’s victory over death. During the service, priests blessed the lit candle, from which all the people’s candles were lighted, symbolising the purification of the soul through fire.“Easter eggs hold special significance as they symbolise new life and a new spirit. Similarly, Easter represents the return of Lord Jesus and his victory over death. Through his resurrection, God has conveyed the message that humans can renew their lives at any moment, abandon their old sinful ways, and step forward in a new direction,” Fr Joachim said.People decorate their homes with Easter eggs and exchange greetings and gifts with relatives. “On this day, we greet our family members, loved ones with Easter wishes and blessings of the resurrected Lord and also exchange gifts. We also enjoyed a sumptuous lunch by preparing our favourite delicacies,” said a devotee, Albert Michael.Another devotee, Rosemund Jeremy, said: “Easter Sunday brings together the Christian community in Patna in a beautiful display of faith, hope and renewal, commemorating the core belief of Christianity — the victory of life over death.”At Sacred Heart Church, the Easter vigil service with the blessing of new fire and lighting of the Pachal candle commenced on Saturday night. Then a procession was taken out to the church premises. Around 1,000 devotees gathered for the service.Parish Priest Fr Martin Anand told this reporter: “Easter gives hope, especially for transformation in our behaviour and integrity of life and charity, so that each of our compassion becomes a symbol of hope for poor, downtrodden people. Because of the resurrection of Christ, we have hope for a better future.” He said three services were conducted at the church, each in English, Hindi and Santhali on Sunday.