Easter is one of the holiest festival
of the Christians and
it is also celebrated by people of other faiths, sans the religious part.
Easter has its roots in ancient time, thousands of years back, connected to
resurrection of Jesus. Here we present you with a detailed history of Easter,
its celebration in different parts of the world, abiut the great re surrection
and more. Scroll down, and discover known and unknown facts.
Easter is a festival of overwhelming joy.
HISTORY OF EASTER
Easter
and Spring
Come March. And the world around you
gets geared up to go ga ga on a festive spree. Some skeptics might shrug off
the March madness fray, but can't beat the freak it rolls out of its season of
rejuvenation, rejoice and renewal that ushers in with a basketful of new
promises and gifts in galore. The nature discards its weary look to don a brand
new outfit. The shining sun showers its blissful warmth, as if, to thwart the
frosted blanket which the winter wraps around us. The brook turns bubbly. The
blooming tulips, the crocuses and the daffodils - all swayed by the cool
southie breeze, bring back the vibe on earth.
What else can be a better day for
fun and fiesta? To have your family reunited? Friendship and love renewed? And
feelings shared?
Perhaps all these traits have made spring and celebrations almost synonymous. That too from the dawn of human history.
Perhaps all these traits have made spring and celebrations almost synonymous. That too from the dawn of human history.
Even in the Greek mythology, Demeter
and Persephone, convey the idea of a goddess returning seasonally from the
nether regions to the light of the day. This is in conjunction with the vernal
equinox, March 21, when nature is in resurrection after the winter.
Even Easter - the grand occasion that reminds you of the golden and crimson eggs and chocolate bunnies, the ho'cross buns, is also a spring time festival. As if the Almighty had chosen this glorious season for the death-resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
Even Easter - the grand occasion that reminds you of the golden and crimson eggs and chocolate bunnies, the ho'cross buns, is also a spring time festival. As if the Almighty had chosen this glorious season for the death-resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
History
Of Easter
Easter, the principal festival of
the Christian church year, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the
third day after his Crucifixion. The origins of Easter date to the
beginnings of Christianity, and it is probably the oldest Christian observance
after the Sabbath (observed on Saturday). Later, the Sabbath subsequently came
to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection.
Meanwhile, many of the cultural
historians find, in the celebration of Easter, a convergence of the three
traditions - Pagan, Hebrew and Christian.
According to St. Bede, an English
historian of the early 8th century, Easter owes its origin to the old Teutonic
mythology. It was derived from the name Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of
spring, to whom the month of April was dedicated. The festival of Eostre was
celebrated at the vernal equinox, when the day and night gets an equal share of
the day.
The English name "Easter"
is much newer. 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.
But it is pointed out by some that
the Easter festival, as celebrated today, is related with the Hebrew tradition,
the Jewish Passover. This is being celebrated during Nisan, the first month of
the Hebrew lunar year. The Jewish Passover under Moses commemorates Israel's deliverance
from about 300 years of bondage in Egypt.
It was in during this Passover in 30
AD Christ was crucified under the order of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate as
the then Jewish high priests accused Jesus of "blasphemy". The
resurrection came three days later, on the Easter Sunday. The early Christians,
many of them being brought up in Jewish tradition regarded Easter as a new
feature of the Pascha (Passover). It was observed in memory of the advent of
the Messiah, as foretold by the prophets. And it is equanimous with the
proclamation of the resurrection. Thus the early Christian Passover turned out
to be a unitive celebration in memory of the passion-death-resurrection of
Jesus. However, by the 4th century, Good Friday came to be observed as a separate
occasion. And the Pascha Sunday had been devoted exclusively to the honor of
the glorious resurrection.
Throughout the Christendom the
Sunday of Pascha had become a holiday to honor Christ. At the same time many of
the pagan spring rites came to be a part of its celebration. May be it was the
increasing number of new converts who could not totally break free of the
influence of pagan culture of their forefathers.
But despite all the influence there
was an important shift in the spirit. No more glorification of the physical
return of the Sun God. Instead the emphasis was shifted to the Sun of
Righteousness who had won banishing the horrors of death for ever.
The Feast of Easter was well
established by the second century. But there had been dispute over the exact
date of the Easter observance between the Eastern and Western Churches. The
East wanted to have it on a weekday because early Christians observed Passover
every year on the 14th of Nisan, the month based on the lunar calendar. But,
the West wanted that Easter should always be a Sunday regardless of the date.
To solve this problem the emperor
Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in 325. The question of the date of
Easter was one of its main concerns. The council decided that Easter should
fall on Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. But
fixing up the date of the Equinox was still a problem. The Alexandrians, noted
for their rich knowledge in astronomical calculations were given the task. And
March 21 was made out to be the perfect date for spring equinox.
The dating of Easter today follows
the same. Accordingly, churches in the West observe it on the first day of the
full moon that occurs on or following the Spring equinox on March 21., it
became a movable feast between March 21 and April 25.
Still some churches in the East
observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival.
The preparation takes off as early as on the Ash Wednesday from which the period of penitence in the Lent begins. The Lent and the Holy week end on the Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection.
The preparation takes off as early as on the Ash Wednesday from which the period of penitence in the Lent begins. The Lent and the Holy week end on the Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection.
EASTER GREETINGS
Presid