This week, the most significant days of the Christian calendar are being marked with a wide range of innovative services and events to help regular worshippers and those with less experience of church explore the story of Easter.

From video installations to Hot Cross Bun giveaways and chocolate fountains, Church of England churches are providing new ways of reflecting on the message of Jesus Christ’s dramatic death and resurrection.

One such innovation is a new take on the Stations of the Cross. A group of Christian multimedia artists in York have come together to create “Via Luminosa – the Easter story in Light”, which consists of 14 continuous video installations mounted on walls or projected onto freestanding structures. Visitors can either view one or take a tour of the whole city and visit all 14 Stations of the Cross.

In another expression, Birmingham Cathedral is using its frontage to create an outdoor Stations of the Cross display, using posters and artwork which have been added to the cathedral since Monday. The frontage will be completed with a poster of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Canon Liturgist, the Revd Janet Chapman, said: “We hope the posters are a visible reminder to all who come to the city centre of the story of Holy Week – a story in which good overcomes evil, love overcomes fear and hatred, and life overcomes death.”

St Mary the Virgin Church in Burghill, Herefordshire is also putting on a display of 15 oil paintings by Dan Adams. Preb Jimmy Morrison, vicar of the church said, “These are no ordinary Stations, and these are no conventional images of Jesus either. They are powerful contemporary depictions of those terrible events seen through the eyes of a thoughtful 21st century agnostic.”

Churches marked Maundy Thursday, the day of the Last Supper before Christ’s crucifixion. To commemorate Jesus' act of washing the disciples feet, a number of Church of England bishops are taking to the streets of Bolton, Oldham, Manchester and London to provide shoe-shines for passers by.

The Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Revd Chris Edmonson, said, “When Jesus did acts of charity it stopped people in their tracks. Many people will be a little surprised to see a bishop offering to spend time cleaning shoes, but clergy are called to serve and this symbolic act is one way of demonstrating this. To serve is a command given to us by Jesus.”

Many churches and cathedrals also held special “Chrism Eucharist” services where clergy and readers renew their ordination vows and the oils used in baptism are blessed by the diocesan bishop. Churches across the country also held Communion services to mark the Last Supper, with many congregations re-enacting the Lord washing the disciple’s feet.

Today churches across the country will be holding special services to remember the trial, crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Many will also be organizing processions through their towns and villages to spread the news of Christ on one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar.

Many churches will also be holding “Passion Plays”, retelling the story for congregations, including a children’s version at St Gregory’s Chruch, Marnhull and a more modern interpretation in Essex.

Hot Cross Buns, the traditional food for Easter time, will also be distributed by clergy such as the Rt Rev Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham, who will also give away cards explaining the significance of Easter.

St Albans Cathedral is also campaigning to promote the “Alban Bun” as a precursor to the popularised Hot Cross Bun. The original “secret recipe” for the Alban Bun is still used in the cathedral café.

The Very Rev Dr Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans, said, “Recently we've lost touch with the significance of the bun, and its link to Holy Week and the Cross. These days it's possible to buy Hot Cross Buns throughout the year. Whilst any reminder of the importance of Easter is welcomed, we've come to the conclusion that the Alban Bun might be a way of reaffirming the significance of the bun as a symbol of Christ's death and resurrection.”
Also marking Easter will be 400 Christians who today will be climbing up the 981-foot Bredon Hill in Worcestershire, to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus.

On Holy Saturday, the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu will be holding open air baptisms by total immersion outside the West End of York Minster. The event has been organised by the Christian network “One Voice York”. Graham Hutchinson of One Voice York said, “These baptisms are a public sign of commitment to a new way of life, so it’s a brave step to take, especially outdoors in a Yorkshire spring! We expect hundreds of people from different churches to come and watch, and everybody is welcome.”

The Bishop of Birmingham will also be conducting total immersion baptisms during the Easter Vigil at Birmingham Cathedral. Meanwhile the Rt Rev John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford, will be giving away Easter eggs at the North Gate in Oxford city centre, whilst the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, will appear on the Church of England YouTube channel giving away Fairtrade Easter eggs in the Reading town centre.

In the video, Bishop Stephen says that Easter eggs remind us that Jesus died, was buried and broke out of the tomb to rise again. They are a “sign that the death of Jesus has led to new life and new hope,” he said.

On Easter Sunday itself churches are planning on marking the day with style. Many will hold Easter Vigils starting on Saturday evening.

One example is St Peter’s Church near Halifax, which will hold an Easter party following the vigil, complete with champagne and a chocolate fountain. Portsmouth Cathedral will also be joining the festivities, by celebrating the resurrection with an Easter egg hunt, whilst Vicars community café in Saltaire, Bradford will be holding a free champagne breakfast.

Rev Andy Bowman, Mission Priest for Bradford Diocese, said, “On Easter Sunday our slogan is going to be ‘Live generously, pass it on’ and we're going to be giving away bucks fizz and chocolate eggs from 10am - while stocks last. The idea is to engage with people who might be wandering about on Sunday morning, maybe not fully realising why we have this extended holiday at Easter.”

There will also be champagne and party poppers at a dawn Eucharist and baptisms at Blackburn Cathedral, whilst Liverpool Cathedral will be holding a special roof-top Eucharist, with a panoramic view of the city. St Michael and All Angels Church in Ashton on Ribble, Preston, are hosting a Fun Fair following their All Age Family Communion complete with burgers and hot dogs. The Rev Rick Bunday, Rector of the West Preston Team, said, “The Easter Fun Fair is a way of making visible the celebration of Easter Day to the whole community.”