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Previous Issues > April 2007 > Special Feature > Curious Questions About Easter Traditions
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 Special Feature
Curious Questions About Easter Traditions
What is the history of Easter? Where does it come from?
Todays Easter is derived from the ancient Jewish and Christian religions. Christians have celebrated the Resurrection (the day Jesus arose from the dead) around the time of the spring equinox for many centuries. The equinox occurs each year on March 20, 21 or 22.
Equinox means equal night. Thats the day when the night and day are of equal length, 12 hours each.
The Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration of the Passover.
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were observed by the ancient Israelites early in the new year.
The Jewish people started each year with the spring equinox, around March 21. The name Passover comes from the Bible story of the angel that passed over the homes of the Jews. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was at the start of the barley harvest, the first crop of the year. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread occurred at about the same time each year, so they were both combined for a two-day celebration.
How did Easter get its name?
Some believe it was the name given to Jesus resurrection (when he rose from the dead) by the Frankish (French) church and comes from the Latin word alba which means white, because people wore white robes when they celebrated the resurrection.
But alba also means sunrise, so when the name of the feast was translated into German, the sunrise meaning was picked instead of the white meaning. In old German, the word for sunrise was ostern, which became Easter, or the feast of the Lords Resurrection.
Some scholars believe the name Easter came from the Scandinavian Ostra and the Teutonic Ostern or Eastre, both goddesses of mythology signifying spring and fertility, whose festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.
What do Lent, ash and palms have to do with Easter?
Lent is a time during which the Christians prepare for Easter. It includes fasting, penance and prayer. Among Roman Catholics, Lent lasts for six and a half weeks before Easter, excluding Sundays. Among the Eastern Orthodox churches, it is a full eight weeks because Saturdays and Sundays are not included.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It is called Palm Sunday because it is the day when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. As he entered the city, people waved palm branches and laid them before him as a symbol honoring him.
Holy Thursday commemorates (remembers) the Last Supper, the last meal that Jesus shared with some of his followers before his death on the cross. The meal they were eating was in celebration of Passover because Jesus and his friends were Jewish.
After supper, Jesus was arrested while he prayed in a garden called Gethsemane. The next day, called Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross. So why call it good? Some people think it originally meant Gods Friday. Others claim that good refers to the blessings received as a result of Jesus death.
Holy Saturday is the last day of Holy Week and of Lent. Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus Resurrection. Christians believe that Jesus arose from the dead on Easter Sunday. What Jesus taught us forms the foundation of the largest religion in the world. Today, about one third of the worlds population is Christian.
So what about the Easter Bunny and colored eggs?
 In pagan times, before there was Christianity or other organized religion, the Easter hare came to be. This was no normal hare (which is similar to a rabbit but larger). The Easter Hare was thought to be a sacred companion of the goddess of spring, Eostre. The hare and the rabbit were the most fertile animals known (this means they have lots of babies!), and they served as symbols of the new life during the spring season. Since long before Jesus Christ was born, parents told their children that the magic hare would bring them presents at the spring festival. The presents were often painted eggs, as these represented the new life starting at this time of year.
Some accounts say that during the 4th century, consuming eggs during Lent was taboo. Since spring is the peak egg-laying time for hens, people began to cook eggs in their shells to preserve them. Eventually people began decorating and hiding them for children to find during Easter, which gave birth to the Easter Egg Hunt.
It is believed that the Chinese are the first people who painted eggs. During spring festivals almost 3,000 years ago, they exchanged red eggs as part of their celebration.
Whether you celebrate the religious part of Easter or just enjoy the Easter Egg hunts and the legend of the Easter Bunny, the Easter holiday is a wonderful part of spring time.
Compiled by Joy Kirkpatrick and Jim Vanore for Kidsville News!
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