Easter
is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries, Easter is celebrated
as the religious holiday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the
son of God. But in actuality, Easter has many customs and legends that are
pagan in origin and with nothing to do with Christianity.
The
word, Easter is thought to come from the Scandinavian "Ostra" and the
Teutonic "Ostern" or "Eastre." Both are goddesses of
mythology that signify spring and fertility. Festivals for them were celebrated
on the day of the vernal equinox. Like the Easter Bunny. The rabbit
is a symbol originating with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre,
was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the hare or
rabbit.
The
date of Easter is determined by the moon—symbolism strongly tied to the hare.
Ever since the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., Easter has been celebrated on the
first Sunday following the first full moon after March 21st.
The
Easter Bunny was introduced to American folklore by German settlers who arrived
in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. "Oschter Haws"
was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure," of course after a
visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. If children had been good, then the
"Oschter Haws" would lay a nest of colored eggs. The children built
their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the garden. Boys used
their caps and girls, their bonnets, to make the nests . The use of elaborate
Easter baskets came much later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread throughout
the country.
Weird traditions connected
to Easter:
I was shocked to find this custom in Czech
Republic/Slovakia, on Easter Monday, Whipping Monday is very
popular. Men lightly whip or spank women with special whips to show their
affection. Some women even give the men colored eggs or money to thank them for
the favor- according to legend, spanking a woman ensures that she will keep her
health and beauty throughout the next year.
Poland
has Dyngus Day, a variation on Whipping
Monday. Boys will lightly whip girls with a pussy willow or dump water on
them- but the girls get their revenge with whips and water the next day, on
Easter Tuesday. The tradition of Dyngus Day is especially popular with the
Polish community of Buffalo, New York.
If you’re looking to have a Big Fat Greek Easter, then you’ll
need to stock up on fireworks and earthenware pots when you take a trip to
Greece around Easter. As soon as Easter Mass ends, townspeople across Greece
hurl pots out of their windows in order to ward off evil and bring prosperity.
Another tradition, known as rouketopolemos, is celebrated in the town of
Vrontados. Two rival church congregations celebrate by attempting to knock down
each other’s bell towers using fireworks as ammo.
In England, a
few places in the country where you can find still Pace egg plays, but they’re
still going strong after hundreds of years in a few small towns like
Heptonstall in West Yorkshire. The plays usually depict St. George locked in a
monumentally epic struggle with evil. Not sure what Easter has to do with St.
George. Pace plays are often accompanied
by Morris dancing, which is a bouncy, skip-like traditional dance.
The
Christian celebration of Easter embodies a number of traditions particularly
due to the relationship of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach).
Pasch, another name used by Europeans for Easter, is derived from Pesach.
A
Spanish festival commemorates the resurrection of Easter with colorful
fireworks and booming cannons. Judas images often are shot at by the soldiers.
Greeks would buy Easter candles and colored eggs for Good Friday, and on
Easter, served the traditional lamb for dinner. They sometimes would do solemn
processions wound through the streets, carrying lighted candles and holy
pictures. A Bavarian custom concerned fashioning of little crosses and they
would set those up in the fields. They also did Easter parades along with
children rolling Easter eggs downhill for fun. In Tyrol,
musicians would tour every valley and sing Easter hymns. The
villagers of villages they did this would join in, and after dark, light the
way with torches.
Other
legends connected to Easter:
Easter
Bells
These
were rung in France and Italy throughout the year, but
never rung on the Thursday before Good Friday. The silence of the bells had to
do as remembrance of the death of Jesus. On Easter, they were rung as
a way of telling people Jesus lived again.
The Cross
A symbol of Christian religion as Jesus was put
on a cross, then was brought back to life.
The Easter Lily
The lily was a reminder to the Christians of how
Jesus came back to life.
Easter Flowers
These being daffodils, narcissus and tulips. Because
bloomed late in spring, they became meshed with Easter as symbols.
Pussy Willows
Especially picked at Easter
in England and Russia, people tapped each other on the shoulders
with a branch of it for good luck.
Lambs
A symbol for Jesus as the Good Shepherd who would watch over
them as they were lambs.
Rabbits
Rabbits are symbols of spring and new life (though I would
consider lambs too, since born around this time), besides also the favorite
animal of the spring goddess Eastre.
The Egg
A sign of spring and Easter, they are a sign of new
life. Interesting Fact: Back in the 19th century,
families too far from town hall, took an egg and dye it, inscribing it with an
infant's name and date of birth—making eggs into birth certificates. It was
accepted as a legal document.
Chicks
The chicks are born from eggs and are a reminder of spring
and Easter.
Enjoy
two tales that are legends to do with Easter, too. Unlike pagan ones, these are
more Christian in relation.
Hot
cross buns and other breads marked with an X symbolizing the cross are a
tradition on many Easter tables. There are many kinds of sweet breads from all
over the world, like Choreg (Armenia), Paska (Ukraine), Babka (Poland),
Tsoureki (Greece). There is a traditional Italian Easter Bread that has eggs
baked right in (talk about hiding the Easter eggs!). The breads are risen
breads which may also show a desire for Easter traditions to be different from
Passover which includes unleavened breads.
Legend
of the Dogwood
An
old and beautiful legend says at the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was
comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Its
firmness and strength got it selected as the timber for the cross, but to be
put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Crucified Jesus in his
gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: "Because of
your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow
large enough to be used as a cross. You will remain slender, bent, and twisted,
and your blossoms in the form of a cross—two long and two short petals. In the
center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints—brown with
rust and stained with red. There will be crown of thorns in the center of the
flower, remembrance for all who see this."
The
Easter Lily
One
of the most famous biblical references to the lily is the Sermon on the Mount,
when Christ told his listeners: "Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these."
Often
called the "white-robed apostles of hope," lilies are said to have
been found growing in the garden of Gethsemane after
Christ's agony. It is said these beautiful white flowers sprang up where drops
of Christ's sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and distress.
Christian churches at Easter by filling their altars and surrounding their
crosses with masses of Easter lilies, commemorating the Resurrection and hope
of life everlasting.
The
pure white lily has also long been closely associated with the Virgin Mary. In
early paintings, the Angel Gabriel is seen holding out a branch of pure white
lilies to her, announcing that she is to be the Mother of the Christ child. In
other paintings, saints are pictured carrying vases full of white lilies that
they give to Mary and the Infant Jesus.
Lilies
had a significant presence in the paradise of Adam and Eve. Tradition says Eve
left the Garden of Eden, shedding real tears of repentance, and from those
remorseful tears sprang up lilies.
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