In this article, we'll explore the meaning of the word Easter, pagan associations of the holiday, and what the holiday means for Christians today. According to dictionary. Also called Easter Sunday. There is no trace of Easter celebration in the New Testament, though some would see an intimation of it in 1 Corinthians The Jewish Christians in the early church continued to celebrate the Passover, regarding Christ as the true paschal lamb, and this naturally passed over into a commemoration of the death and resurrection of our Lord or an Easter feast.
Get your free Easter Prayer and Scripture Guide to reflect on the meaning and importance of Jesus' resurrection. In this case, easter would be linked to the changing of the season. A more recent and complex explanation comes from the Christian background of Easter rather than the pagan. The word alba is Latin both for white and dawn. People speaking Old High German made a mistake in their translation and used a plural word for dawn, ostarun, instead of a plural for white.
From ostarun we get the German Ostern and the English Easter. The significance of Easter is Jesus Christ's triumph over death. His resurrection means the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The purpose of Easter also means the full confirmation of all that Jesus taught and preached during His three-year ministry.
If He had not risen from the dead, if He had simply died and not been resurrected, He would have been thought just another teacher or prophet. However, His resurrection rebuked all that and provided final and undeniable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had overcome death once and for all. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the core of the Christian gospel. Saint Paul says that if Christ is not raised from the dead, then our preaching and hope are in vain 1 Cor.
Certainly, without the resurrection, there would be no Christian preaching or faith. The apostles of Christ would have continued as the disheartened group which the Gospel of John depicts being in hiding for fear of the Jews. They were in total despair until they met the risen Christ John Then they touched Christ's wounds of the nails and the spear; they ate and drank with Him. The resurrection affirms Jesus of Nazareth as not only the prophesied Messiah of Israel but as the King and Lord of a new Jerusalem: a new heaven and a new earth.
Nevertheless, Easter did not always signify Christ's resurrection from the dead and the purpose of Easter was considerably different than what Christians observe today. The feast day of Easter was first a pagan holiday of renewal and rebirth. Examples of non-religious Easter traditions include Easter eggs, and related games such as egg rolling and egg decorating. Egg decorating may have become part of the Easter celebration in a nod to the religious significance of Easter, i.
In some households, a character known as the Easter Bunny delivers candy and chocolate eggs to children on Easter Sunday morning. These candies often arrive in an Easter basket. The exact origins of the Easter Bunny tradition are unknown, although some historians believe it arrived in America with German immigrants in the s.
Rabbits are, in many cultures, known as enthusiastic procreators, so the arrival of baby bunnies in springtime meadows became associated with birth and renewal. Notably, several Protestant Christian denominations, including Lutherans and Quakers , have opted to formally abandon many Easter traditions, deeming them too pagan. However, many religious observers of Easter also include them in their celebrations. Easter foods are steeped in symbolism. An Easter dinner of lamb also has historical roots, since a lamb was often used as a sacrificial animal in Jewish traditions, and lamb is frequently served during Passover.
Today, Easter is a commercial event as well as a religious holiday, marked by high sales for greeting cards, candies such as Peeps, chocolate eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies and other gifts. McDougall, H. Sifferlin, A. Barooah, J. Chapman, E. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.
Easter traditions and symbols have evolved over time, though some have been around for centuries. While to Christians, Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, many Easter traditions are not found in the Bible.
The most prominent secular symbol of the Christian It is a fun and engaging activity to look for these Easter eggs because it usually reveals more about the character or the plotline. Most Disney films have the iconic Mickey Mouse ears or his head placed in a scene. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter. Significance, history, meaning of Easter eggs. Happy Easter The story behind Easter lies in the New Testament of the Bible which narrates how Jesus was arrested by the Roman authorities because he claimed to be the Son of God, and later crucified.
Share Via. Celebrations Easter is celebrated as a joyous occasion and the Sunday prior is called Palm Sunday which marks the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. Easter Eggs Chocolate-filled eggs or brightly painted eggs with sweets inside are common gifts exchanged on Easter.
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