The History of Easter
From theholidayspot.com
Easter and Spring
Come March 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.
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.
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 (originally observed on
Saturday, later on Sunday). 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.
Easter in America
Today, with all its joyous customs, Easter is indeed a major popular
festival across the United States. A festival that has become more of
secular in spirit, though it has religious background. However, this
was not the case all along the history of United States. Easter did not enjoy the status of a
popular festival among the early
settlers in America. Because most of them were Puritans or members of
Protestant Churches who had little use for the ceremonies of any
religious festivals. Even the Puritans in Massachusetts tried their
best to play down the celebration of Easter as far as possible. While
various rites are said to be associated with the celebration of Easter,
most of them have come as part of the ancient spring rites in the
Northern hemisphere.
Not until
the period of the Civil War did the message and meaning of
Easter begin to be expressed as it had been in Europe. It was the
initiative of the Presbyterians. The scars of death and
destruction
which led people back to the Easter season. They found the story of
resurrection as a great source of inspiration and renewed hope.
Since
then, of course, its joyous customs delight children and adults alike.
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