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 Easter
Prior 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 fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1
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 Season
Lent is the forty-six 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. Read about the religious meanings of the Lenten Season.
The Cross
The Cross is the symbol of the Crucifixion, as opposed to the
Resurrection. However, at the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325, Constantine
decreed that the Cross was the official symbol of Christianity. The Cross is not
only a symbol of Easter, but it is more widely used, especially by the Catholic
Church, as a year-round symbol of their faith.
The Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated
with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the
Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.
The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It
was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In
fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.
Easter Bunny Costumes are available now!! Hop on over!!
The Easter Egg
As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg
predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime
is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by
Christians.
From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most
cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant,
colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.
Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets
along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or
chocolate candy.
The Dates of Easter
Dates of Easter
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