Religious Affairs Reporter Marianne Sumner looks at Easter's significance in modern-day Bradford

Chocolate and a few days off work might be the extent of Easter for some people.

But for Christians it is a matter of life and death.

It is the busiest time of year for many churches with most believers making a special effort to attend.

Bradford Cathedral holds about 15 services in the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.

This year Easter has special significance as the first since Princess Diana's death. Thousands signed condolence books across the city and in their grief began asking difficult spiritual questions, some for the first time.

Canon Geoff Smith said: "People came here during the time of mourning for Princess Diana and they come here for the great festival occasions during the year. People struggle with the big meaning of life questions particularly when there is the death of a close relative. It is then that they struggle with the questions like who are we? where are we from? and where are we going?"

But the Church of England's promotion team is up against it. Shops across Bradford will be open today and for many it will be a day for stocking up at the supermarket.

Morrisons is open today and Saturday as well as Monday.

A spokesman said: "People are off work and family are visiting and there is more entertaining. Traditionally, it's always been a busy time, particularly Friday and Saturday."

Jeff Frankel, of the Bradford Retail Action Group, said he had been told that there had always been trading on Good Friday in Bradford because it was impractical to close down a steam mill on Friday, open Saturday and close again on Sunday.

"Twenty-five years ago we worked Good Friday. Traditionally people who work in offices have Good Friday off and shopping is a leisure activity. I don't know of any shops not open on Good Friday."

All large shops, and most of the smaller ones, have to close for Easter Day thanks to the 1994 Sunday Trading Act.

One young woman working at Thorntons summed up perhaps many people's view on this time of year.

"I am one of the younger ones. It's the older ones here who are more religious. Easter doesn't mean anything to me. But it's good for business. We are run off our feet. We are so hectic."

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