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The Traditions of Easter
As with almost all "Christian" holidays, Easter has been secularized and commercialized. The dichotomous nature of Easter and its symbols, however, is not necessarily a modern fabrication.Since its conception as a holy celebration in the second century, Easter has had its non-religious side. In fact, Easter was originally a pagan festival.The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre. When the second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with their pagan celebrations, they attempted to convert them to Christianity. They did so, however, in a clandestine manner.It would have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy days with observances that did not coincide with celebrations that already existed. To save lives, the missionaries cleverly decided to spread their religious message slowly throughout the populations by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but to do so in a Christian manner.As it happened, the pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. It made sense, therefore, to alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian celebration as converts were slowly won over. The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.The Date of EasterPrior to A.D. 325, Easter was variously celebrated on different days of the week, including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In that year, the Council of Nicaea was convened by emperor Constantine. It issued the Easter Rule which states that Easter shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The "full moon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as the 14th day of a tabular lunation, where day one corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as the astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always on March 21. Therefore, Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25.The Lenten SeasonLent is the 46-day period just prior to Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is a celebration, sometimes called "Carnival," practiced around the world, on the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday. It was designed as a way to "get it all out" before the sacrifices of Lent began. New Orleans is the focal point of Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S.Lent — What is it? Why is it?The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. Lent is a 40-day season of preparation for Easter. Lent always begins on a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday.Why 40 days? Because, Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent, then, is our time of fasting, prayer, temptation and repentance. Lent is not required anywhere in scriptures, but it has been a custom, which Christians have practiced for most of the last 2,000 years.In many languages, the word "Lent" actually means "fast." This is where the custom of giving up something for Lent originated.However, just to confuse things, Lent is actually 46 days rather than 40 days. Why? Because the 40 days of Lent are supposed to be days of fasting, which means days of discipline and self-restraint. But Sunday, the Lord's Day, should never be a day of fasting, but a day of celebration. So each Sunday we suspend our Lenten disciplines and celebrate. Lent is 40 "fasting" days spread out over a total of 46 days beginning on Ash Wednesday.The focus of Lent was always threefold:1. It was a time to prepare new converts for baptism through intensive classes and instruction.2. It was a time for long-standing Christians to review their lives and renew their commitment to Jesus Christ.3. It was a time for backsliders to be restored to the faith.To represent the dark and serious business of Lent, one custom has been to strip the sanctuary of all flowers, candles, and colors during Lent. This custom helps us to turn inward and examine ourselves, even as it reminds us of the dark and colorless Sabbath day when Jesus lay dead in the tomb.Put simply, Lent is a time to examine ourselves carefully.History of Easter BunnyThe Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit and it signified new life and rebirth. Years ago, Easter bunny was known as “Easter Hare.” As known to all, hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births, so they became a symbol of fertility and birth. And that's what the springtime too stands for — renewal and regeneration. So, settle in and get in depth information on Easter Bunny history.The history of Easter bunny can be traced back to Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. According to a German legend, a white hare would leave Easter baskets filled with candies, brightly colored eggs and other goodies for kids to come and gorge on them on Easter morning. The German settlers when moved to U.S. popularized the tradition of the Easter hare. And as the days passed, the Easter hare became the Easter bunny. It was in the 1800s that the bunnies were popularized as confectioneries. They were made from pastry and sugar.Easter bunny is also associated with the pagan goddess “Eostre.” The earthly symbol of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, “Eostre,” was hare. And she was worshipped for her earthly symbol. According to a European legend, hare is a symbol of moon because hares never close their eyes and watch the other animals throughout the night. The hare is intricately related to Easter because the celebration date is fixed in accordance with the appearance of full moon. In Egypt, rabbits signified the new life in spring. Later, early Christians saw it as a symbol for the resurrection of Christ.Though the origin of Easter bunny is shrouded in mystery, this lovable sweet creature still remains the most admired symbol of Easter.Easter EggThe egg is nature's perfect package. It has, during the span of history, represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen. It is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world and has been dyed, painted, adorned and embellished in the celebration of its special symbolism.Before the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter, it was honored during many rite-of-spring festivals. The Romans, Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians and Persians all cherished the egg as a symbol of the universe. From ancient times eggs were dyed, exchanged and shown reverence.In Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil; pregnant young Roman women carried an egg on their persons to foretell the sex of their unborn children; French brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new homes.With the advent of Christianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.Old Polish legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.Another Polish legend tells of when Mary Magdalen went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs, lo, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.Decorating and coloring eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the middle ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of 18 pence for 450 eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gifts.The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.The first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown.This special Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all.Ornamental egg designers believe in the symbolism of the egg and celebrate the egg by decorating it with superb artistry. Some use flowers and leaves from greeting cards, tiny cherubs, jewels and elegant fabrics, braids and trims, to adorn the eggs. They are separated, delicately hinged and glued with epoxy and transparent cement, then when completed, they are covered with a glossy resin finish. Although the omens and the mystery of the egg have disappeared today, the symbolism remains, and artists continue in the old world tradition of adorning eggs.Easter BasketsEaster baskets are a symbol of the holiday. What would Easter be without baskets filled to the brim with candy treats such as chocolates and jellybeans, all of these usually in the shape of an egg or a rabbit. In addition, these candies may be hidden in hollow plastic eggs in a variety of colors. If you were lucky, there would be Easter egg hunts where you could search for boiled, colored eggs or the plastic ones filled with chocolates of every conceivable shape and flavor. Have you ever considered where the idea of Easter baskets originated?Easter as a holiday is the result of many different cultures and religions combined. The history of the Easter basket has a similar lineage. Some of the origins are from ancient pagan customs, some stem from a Judeo Christian background.Vernal or spring equinox was special time to ancient cultures. They were very dependent on the success of their crops and livestock to live. They celebrated the seasons and prayed to different gods in the hopes that their fields would be fertile. Spring Equinox is a time when day and night are equal time. This was a signal that the long harsh winter was over and that spring a time of renewal and rebirth was at hand.Cultures from the Middle East such as the Hebrews, Arabs, Babylonians, and Assyrians had special traditions such as bringing the first seedling of the new crop to the temples to be blessed. This was in the hope that God would be happy and bless their crops that year. One of the most significant connections of Easter to these ancient religions is that the date is based upon astrological signs. Easter occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon following Spring Equinox. This first moon was a sign to farmers to make sure they planted the first seeds of the season.Easter baskets grew out of modern traditions and symbology of Christianity. To Christians, Easter represents the resurrection of Christ. Lent is the season that proceeds Easter and lasts for 46 days prior to Easter Sunday. This season of Lent is begun on Fat Tuesday. This is the last time to party before the season of lent. During the Lent season, Christians believe you must give up something and fast until after Easter. The fast can include giving up meat, eggs, and dairy. The custom of having a large Easter supper represents the end of the Lenten fast. In more ancient times, this large feast was brought to the church in large baskets, hence the connection to treats in an Easter baskets today. This basket was blessed by the clergy much like the ancient Hebrews brought their first seedlings to the temple to be blessed.So what about that Easter grass? This comes from the tradition of Dutch children waiting to deliver eggs on Easter Sunday. They would deposit these eggs in little bird's nests much like the purple, yellow, or green plastic grass nests that can be found in modern Easter baskets. This Easter as you order a special Easter basket for friends and family, you now know that you are participating in a tradition that been passed down for many thousands of years.Although considered a religious holiday, Easter is really a universal expression of renewal and new beginnings.
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