Easter
is all about chocolate, Easter bunnies and eggs, well
that is how children associate Easter.
Easter
is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries
Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But the
celebrations of Easter have many customs and legends that
are pagan in origin and have nothing to do with Christianity
Scholars, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century
English scholar St. Bede, believe the name Easter is thought
to come from the Scandinavian "Ostra" and the Teutonic
"Ostern" or "Eastre," both Goddesses
of mythology signifying spring and fertility whose festival
was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.
Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter
rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter
eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent
the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests
or given as gifts.
[ Holy Week | Traditions | When
is Easter | Easter Eggs ]
The Christian celebration of Easter embodies a number of converging
traditions with emphasis on the relation of Easter to the Jewish
festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch,
another name used by Europeans for Easter. Passover is an important
feast in the Jewish calendar which is celebrated for 8 days
and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from
slavery in Egypt
The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin,
were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter
as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration
of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets. (For
more information please visit our Passover celebration - Passover
on the Net)
Easter is observed by the churches of the West on the first
Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following
the spring equinox (March 2I). So Easter became a "movable"
feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April
25
Christian churches in the East which were closer to the birthplace
of the new religion and in which old traditions were strong,
observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival
Easter is at the end of the Lenten season, which covers a
forty-six-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends
with Easter. The Lenten season itself comprises forty days,
as the six Sundays in Lent are not actually a part of Lent.
Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday and
have always been excluded from the Lenten fast. The Lenten
season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest
festival of the church year, Easter
Holy Week, the last week of Lent, begins its with the observance
of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday takes its name from Jesus' triumphal
entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet.
Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held
the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in Holy Week is
the anniversary of the Crufixion, the day that Christ was crucified
and died on the cross
Holy week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday, the
day of resurrection of Jesus Christ
Holy Week |
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Palm Sunday: This
is held on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It
recalls Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem
one week before his execution.
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Holy Monday commemorates
Jesus' cleansing of the temple, when he assaulted
money changers and overturned their tables. Some
believe that this triggered his arrest and crucifixion.
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Holy Tuesday recalls
Jesus' description to his disciples on the Mount
of Olives of the destruction of Jerusalem.
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Holy Wednesday (once
called Spy Wednesday) recalls Judas' decision to
betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
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Maundy Thursday commemorates
the Last Supper, Jesus agony in the garden and
his arrest.
"Maundy" is derived from the Latin "mandatum"
(commandment of God in John 13:34-35) For centuries,
people in authority have washed the feet of their
followers on this day.
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Good Friday recalls
Jesus' death on the cross. The origin of the word "good"
has been lost. Some claim that it is a corruption
of "God"
and that the early Christians called this day "God's
Friday." Others claim that "good" refers
to the blessings of humanity that Christians believe
arose as a result of Jesus' execution.
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Holy Saturday (a.k.a.
Easter Eve) is the final day of Holy Week and of
Lent.
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Easter Sunday commemorates
Jesus' resurrection. In the early church, converts
were baptized into church membership on this day
after a lengthy period of instruction. This tradition
continues today in some churches.
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How the date of Easter is Determined:
Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full
moon after 20th March, the nominal date of the Spring Equinox.
Many sources incorrectly state that the starting date of the
calculation is the actual day of the Equinox rather than the
nominal date of 20th March. Other sources use an incorrect
reference date of 21st March.
Easter Sunday can fall on any date from 22nd March to 25th
April. The year-to-year sequence is so complicated that it
takes 5.7 million years to repeat. Eastern Orthodox churches
sometimes celebrate Easter on the same day as the rest of Christendom.
However if that date does not follow Passover, then the Orthodox
churches delay their Easter - sometimes by over a month.
Easter
Traditions: |
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Hot Cross Buns: At
the feast of Eostre, the Saxon fertility Goddess,
an ox was sacrificed. The ox's horns became a
symbol for the feast. They were carved into the
ritual bread. Thus originated "hot cross
buns". The word
"buns" is derived from the Saxon word "boun"
which means "sacred ox." Later, the
symbol of a symmetrical cross was used to decorate
the buns; the cross-represented the moon, the
heavenly body associated with the Goddess, and
its four quarters.
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Easter Rabbit and Eggs: The
symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara were the
hare and the egg. Both represented fertility.
From these, we have inherited the customs and
symbols of the Easter egg and Easter rabbit.
Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of
the Babylonian mystery religions. Eggs
"were sacred to many ancient civilizations
and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies
in Egypt and the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung
in Egyptian temples, and the egg was regarded
as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding
from the mouth of the great Egyptian god.".
All about Easter eggs More...
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Easter Lilies: "The
so-called 'Easter lily' has long been revered
by pagans of various lands as a holy symbol associated
with the reproductive organs. It was considered
a phallic symbol!"
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Easter Sunrise Service: This
custom can be traced back to the ancient Pagan
custom of welcoming the sun God at the vernal
equinox - when daytime is about to exceed the
length of the night time. It was a time to "celebrate
the return of life and reproduction to animal
and plant life as well."
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Easter Candles: These
are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter
Sunday. Some commentators believe that these
can be directly linked to the Pagan customs of
lighting bonfires at this time of year to welcome
the rebirth/resurrection of the sun God.
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