More than its multicolored eggs and cute rabbits, you can learn more about Easter's most popular myths and traditions.
Eggs occupy a special status during observances of this Christian holiday as they are symbols of rebirth and renewal. Life bursts forth from them; a symbol for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many of the traditions linked with the modern-day Easter speak of ideas of rebirth and renewal, with its frills directly related to Spring and the natural rhythms of Earth.
Easter traditions not associated with Jesus are not necessarily "pagan" in the sense that they date back before the Christian Era, but they are pagan in the sense that they imitate the natural world.
1. Lent
Thanks to Lent, we can indulge in big Easter feasts.
Lent initially required people to undertake fasting for 40 days (excluding Sundays), but a more modern version is observed by having people give up immediate gratification, such as social media, caffeine, chocolate, or TV.
The exact date Lent ends tends to be celebrated near Easter. Come Easter Sunday, people are ready to indulge in their pleasures, such as with savory dishes they have been deprived of.
2. The Jews Killed Jesus
Modern Christianity rejects the claim that Jewish people were directly responsible for Christ's execution. These charges were refuted by the Second Vatican Council in 1967.
The version of Jesus' crucifixion varies over the centuries. Only in the one part of Matthew are Jews blamed and theoretically, the authors of the gospels could have done that to the account to convince Roman audiences to their truth.
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3. The Holiday's Name
It is believed that the word Easter was derived from Eostre, a pagan goddess of spring and fertility. Folklore tells that Eostre found a bird dying from the cold and changed it into a rabbit, so its fur would keep it warm. The rabbit still ended up laying eggs like a bird.
4. Churches are Decorated with Flowers
Because of the significant theme for Easter that is rebirth, flowers epitomize this. Traditional Easter flowers include Easter lilies, which are claimed to have grown in the Garden of Gethsemane, the site where Jesus was arrested.
5. Easter Eggs
The egg is a sacred symbol of new life. It has been linked with pagan festivals commemorating spring. From a religious perspective, Easter eggs are believed to be a representation of Jesus' emergence from the tomb and resurrection.
6. Hollow Chocolate Bunnies
Why is little chocolate leporidae hollow inside? The purpose is not just to condition kids to be used to disappointment at a young age.
R.M. Palmer Company, one of the oldest makers of chocolate bunnies in the United States, said the empty insides are merely in consideration of your teeth. "If you had a larger-size bunny and it was solid chocolate, it would be like a brick; you'd be breaking teeth," according to Mark Schlott, executive vice-president of operations.
