Easter can fall as early as 22 March, or as late as 25 April, as Western Christianity dictates it must always fall on the next full moon after Spring equinox. As the Royal Scots Club gears up for our Easter Sunday lunch, we have looked at the history of this holiday and the Easter traditions which have developed over the years.
Easter is the principal festival of the Christian church year which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The exact origins of this religious feast day are unknown, but some claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility.
Easter is an entire season of the Christian church year rather than just one day of celebration; the day period leading up to Easter Sunday is known as Lent and is a time of reflection and penance. People choose to loosen their purse strings and splurge on the Easter weekend as the celebrations arrive after a day lent period.
Some examples of non-religious Easter traditions include a treasure hunt like search for Easter eggs, and games such as egg rolling and egg decorating.
Hidden messages or pop-culture references in films , multimedia games and other media are also termed Easter Eggs? These could be hidden messages, characters or images. It is a fun and engaging activity to look for these Easter eggs because it usually reveals more about the character or the plotline. Most Disney films have the iconic Mickey Mouse ears or his head placed in a scene.
Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter. Significance, history, meaning of Easter eggs. Happy Easter The story behind Easter lies in the New Testament of the Bible which narrates how Jesus was arrested by the Roman authorities because he claimed to be the Son of God, and later crucified. Share Via. Celebrations Easter is celebrated as a joyous occasion and the Sunday prior is called Palm Sunday which marks the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem.
The resurrection affirms Jesus of Nazareth as not only the prophesied Messiah of Israel but as the King and Lord of a new Jerusalem: a new heaven and a new earth. Nevertheless, Easter did not always signify Christ's resurrection from the dead and the purpose of Easter was considerably different than what Christians observe today. The feast day of Easter was first a pagan holiday of renewal and rebirth.
Honored in the early spring, it praised the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. When early Christian missionaries saved the Saxons to Christianity, the spring holiday, because it occurred near the same season as the traditional memorial of Christ's resurrection from the dead, was joined with the pagan festival, and became known as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to honor its new Christian significance. The origin of the Easter Bunny can be dated back to the 13 th century in Germany.
The Germanic folk, known as the Teutons, worshiped pagan gods and goddesses. She was revered as the goddess of fertility and spring. Due to its prolific breeding tendencies, the rabbit became a symbol for Eostra. The Anglo-Saxons, like German forefathers, celebrated Eostra. When converted, they accepted the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection at Easter while still continuing the celebration of spring renewal and the rabbit's symbolism.
In antiquity, purple dye was a prized commodity because of how difficult it was to obtain. In particular, purple dye was obtained from the harvesting of certain marine snails. In light of how labor-intensive it was to produce purple dye, purple apparel was very expensive and often only worn by kings, other royal members, or those with high-ranking authority.
As such, the color purple became known as a mark of royalty and sovereignty. In remembrance of the purple robe the Roman soldiers put on Jesus in mockery, churches display the color purple during Lent to mourn the emotional and physical anguish that Jesus underwent during His Passion, and also to proclaim Him as the true King of Kings.
In some churches, the clergy wear purple vestments, drape lecterns with purple cloths, and cover the front of altars with purple frontals. For Christians worldwide, the importance of Easter is praising and acknowledging Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, and His glorious assurances of eternal life for all who believe in Him.
While there are plenty of non-religious traditions such as the easter bunny, baskets of candy, and Easter egg hunts, there are also meaningful traditions for Christians today. Some include. We celebrate Easter because this holiday recognizes that we can die to our old way of living and resurrect into our new life with Christ. Christianity does require a death to self. But the resurrection we experience in a spiritual sense and the resurrection of the body we have yet to experience give us ample cause for celebration.
We have full confidence that no matter what happens to us on this Earth that we can experience eternal joy with God in heaven.
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