Hello everybody!How much do you know about Easter? Check the following infortmation, and you will find very intetresting facts about it!
WHAT IS EASTER ?
Easter is the celebration Jesus Christ's return to life after his crucification. It is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the first day of Spring. This can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. It is the most sacred of all the Christian holidays or celebrations.
His return from death is called the Resurrection. According to the scriptures, Jesus tomb was empty three days after his death. His followers saw him and talked to him after this. Christians therefore believe that they too can receive new life after death. Easter is the celebration of this belief.
HOW EASTER WAS CELEBRATED IN ANCIENT DAYS ?
A long time ago, people used to celebrate when Spring arrived. People used to believe that changes in seasons were guided by spirits or gods. The blooming of plants and flowers and animals coming out of their hibernation and the return of birds brought life back to the land. This new life in spring symbolizes the new life Christians gain because of Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection or back to life again.
In ancient Egypt, Easter was celebrated at the same time Jesus was crucified during the Passover. This was so for many years. However, in A.D. 325, a group of men met in Nicacea, now called Turkey, decided that Easter should be on a different day. They chose the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Vernal means "spring" and equinox means "equal night". This special Sunday is the one 24-hour period in spring when both day and night last exactly twelve hours. This is how Easter is celebrated today. However, many Orthodox or Eastern Christians wait until Passover and other traditions to celebrate Easter.
WHAT IS LENT ?
Lent is the forty days special season prior to Easter Sunday. Sundays are not counted because it is the Lord's Day and should be celebrated and therefore no fasting. Lent is a period of fasting or doing without certain foods, praying and repentance. This is to serve as a reminder of the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness. Some countries have celebrations like the Mardi Gras, which means "Fat Tuesday" in French, the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. It is also called "Carnival" sometimes. In the United States, New Orleans is the place where Mardi Gras is celebrated on a big scale.
WHAT IS THE HOLY WEEK ?
The Holy week is the last week of Lent. It begins with the observance of Palm Sunday. The name, Palm Sunday originated from Jesus's entry in Jerusalem. The crowd laid carpets of palms on the street for him. The Last Supper is commemorated on Holy Thursday of special week and Friday is the anniversary of the crucification of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Lenten season and Holy week end with Easter Sunday (resurrection of Jesus Christ).
NAMES OF EASTER
Easter was called Pesach by early Christians. It is a Hebrew name for Passover. Today, the name for Easter in many cultures in Europe are similar to the word Pesah. For example :
France - Paques Spain - Pascua Italy - Pasqua Albania - Pashke Greece - Pascha Norway - Paaske Holland - Pasen Sweden - Pask
HOW DID EASTER GET ITS NAME ?
The English name "Easter" is much newer. Before Christianity in early England, the people celebrated the vernal equinox with a feast honoring Eastre, the goddess of spring. When the early English Christians wanted others to accept Christianity, they decided to use the name Easter for this holiday so that it would match the name of the old spring celebration. This made it more comfortable for other people to accept Christianity. Some believed that the word Easter came from an early German word "eostarun", meaning dawn and white. Newly baptized Christians wore white clothes as a sign of their new life on Easter.
EASTER EGG
As Christianity spread, more familiar traditions, symbols and celebrations of spring were associated with Easter - Christ coming back to life after death. One of the oldest spring symbols in the world is the egg. The oval shape of the egg was the same shape for a raindrop and a seed. These two were important life-giving elements. The egg itself promises new life as in spring, birds, and many other animals are hatched from eggs. In fact, the Persians, Hindus and Egyptians believed that the world began with a single egg. In ancient China, Rome and Greece, eggs were given as springtime gifts. In Polland and Russia, hours are spent on drawing intricate designs on Easter eggs. In England, members of the royal families gave each other gold-covered eggs as Easter gifts in the middle ages.
EASTER BUNNY
European legend says that the hare never closed its eyes and watch the other animals throughout the night. It became a symbol of the moon. The hare is connected with Easter because the celebration date depends upon the full moon.
In Egypt, people used to believe that the rabbit was responsible for the new life in spring. Later, early Christians saw it as a symbol for the resurrection of Christ.
According to an old German story, a poor woman hid some brightly colored eggs in her garden as Easter treats for children. While the children were searching, a hare hopped past. The children thought that the hare had left the eggs. So every Easter, German children would make nests of leaves and branches in their gardens for the hare. This custom was brought to the United States when the Germans came. The hare became a rabbit because there were more rabbits in the United States. Today, it is called the Easter bunny.
The Easter bunny also has to do with its pre-Christian origin. The hare were very fertile animals and gave birth to many offsprings in spring. Therefore , the bunny served as a symbol of new life during the Spring season.
Taken from: http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Holidays/Easter/
Now that you know why eggs and bunnies are symbols of Easter, can you lead the rabbit to its basket?
