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Sunday, can vary by 35 days
easter
Christian
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i s t o r y
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Easter is the conclusion of Holy
Week as well as the Lent season, which is a period of forty days,
excluding Sundays, symbolic of Jesus Christ's forty day fast in the
desert, during which devout Christians perform deeds of spiritual
cleansing and penitence. The goddess of spring worshipped by Northern
and Central Europeans prior to Christianity's introduction was named
Eostre, which is believed to have stemmed the word 'east' as well as
Easter. The more joyous of the two major Christian holidays, Easter
marks not only the resurrection of Christ, but also the revitalization
of the natural world. Though it is the oldest Christian festival, the
Church didn't set the date of its celebration, the first Sunday after
the full moon following the Vernal Equinox, until 325 C.E. The
significance of the Vernal Equinox has been a factor in the celebrations
of many ancient cultures, from the Romans to the Egyptians, and it is on
these seasonal festivals that symbolism of Easter is largely based. As
Jesus and his original followers were Jews, Easter is also inextricably
linked with the celebration of Passover. For example, what is now known
as the Last Supper is thought to have been a Passover Seder.
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r a d i t i o n s
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As with Christmas, Easter is a
religious holiday that has become secularized over the centuries of its
observance. Due to the high appeal of its customs, people around the
world celebrate the holiday as a chance to gather with the people they
love and enjoy the coming of spring. Two of the most recognized Easter
symbols are rabbits or hares and eggs, both of which are symbols of
fertility, rebirth, and the continuity of life. Eggs are all the more
significant because their consumption was originally forbidden during
the Lent season. Thus, they were reintroduced into the diets of devout
Christians during the traditional Easter meal, for which occasion they
were painted to express the cheer and delight identified with the
holiday. Painting eggs may have originally come from the spring festival
practices of Egyptians and Persians. The custom continues to be very
popular, especially in Europe, where painted eggs are given to friends,
family, and kids as gifts symbolic of life, and among children as an
amusing activity with which to celebrate Easter. In the United States,
the belief that the Easter bunny actually lays eggs laid the foundation
for the Easter egg hunt, in which eggs are hidden around the yard or
garden for children to discover. Egg rolling contests, such as the
annual one held on the White House lawn, are also customary.
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a c t s
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 As
opposed to the purple garments worn by Catholic clergy throughout Lent,
the Pope wears white robes as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.
The date of Easter Sunday
can vary as much as 35 days from year to year.
see
some great cards to send for this holiday |
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