44
THE HISTORY OF EASTER
The colorful traditiotis of this springtime celebration
include some little-known, centuries-old customs.
a^tcr means many things to
many people.
lo the dress designer, it's the time
to introduce new spring fashit)ns. To
the florist, it means increased sales in
lilies. To the college student, it i.s an
annual break from textbooks for fun
and sun at Daytona Beach or Palm
Springs. To the Christian, it marks
the center of all theology, that the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead
is living proof that Christ was the
Son of God.
Chri.stians. as well as many non-
Christians, celehrate the festival of
Easter each year not only by filling
churches to overflowing, but also by
observing customs commonly associ-
ated with this holy season.
The "whys" behind some of Easter's
customs and symbols explain how this
happened.
Why is the celebration of Jesu.s'
resurrection called "Easter"?
The word "Easter" comes not from
a Christian source, but from an ancient
ritual. An illustrious monk and writer
of the medieval church, the Venerable
Bede (673-735), wrote that the term
is a corruption of Eo.stre—the Teu-
tonic goddess of .spring. The label
was chosen because of the time of
year when the feast of the resurrec-
tion is always held.
Why is Easter celebrated in spring?
According to the New Testament.
Jesus was erucified on Friday after-
noon—a few hours before the start of
the high holy season called "'Passover."
His resurrection was on the following
Sunday; thus, the Christian celebration
of Easter has always been linked with
the Jewish observance of Passover.
The first council of the Christian
Church (held in Nieaea in 325) set the
date for the celebration of Jesus' res-
urrection as the first Sunday after the
first full moon following the vernal
equinox (March 21). The earliest pos-
sible date of Easter, then, i.s March 22;
the latest. April 25.
Eastern Orthitdox churches follow
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST
by John McCollister
the Julian calendar rather than the
Gregorian calendar, so their celebra-
tion normally follows one week later
than most Christian denominations.
The dates of Easter between now
and the year 2000 are: April 16,
1995; April 7, 1996; March 30, 1997;
April 12, 1998; April 4. 1999; April
23. 2000.
Why do Christians eat
hard-boiled eggs on Easter?
Early Christians of Mesopotamia
were the first to apply this symbol as a
visual lesson to the resurrection of
Christ. This custom has its roots in
folklore. Erom earliest times, the egg
has been a symbol of feiiility and im-
mortality. During the rites of spring,
many nations have included it as a sign
of new life anticipated during the .sea-
son of planting.
Why are Easter eggs
colored or painted?
The U'adition of dyeing Easter eggs
with bright colors has its origin in a leg-
end that Simon of Cyrene—the man
who carried the cross of Jesus to Cal-
vary—was an egg merchant. According
to the folk tale, when Simon returned
from the site of the ciiiciilxion, he dis-
covered that all of the eggs in his pro-
duce basket had miraculously turned
into a variety of colors, adorned with
drawings.
Although this may be a delightful
tale that developed into an enjoyable
practice, there is neither Biblical nor
sound oral tradition to support it.
Why is the "Easter bunny"
a part of the Easter celebration?
Like the egg. the rabbit has been a
symbol of fertility, the observance of
which was another part of the Anglo-
Saxon mythology and the ancient cel-
ebration of spring.
In a blend of Christian and other
traditions, the custom of a rabbit (or
Easter bunny) leaving colored eggs in
the baskets of children was brought to
America by German immigrants in tbe
late 19th century.
Marc^/April '95
Wby is tbe lily tbe
l Kaster llower?
The lily—a tall, fragrant plant with
long, pointed leaves—is the symbol of
Easter because of its shape resembling
a trumpet that heralds the resurrection
of Jesus.
Wby is tbe picture of a butterfly
a purl of l-^asUr decorations?
In many Christian churches on Easter
morning, a common practice is to hang
a banner featuring the image of a but-
terfly—a symbol of Jesus' resurrection.
As any sehoolchild knows, butterflies
have humble beginnings as worm-like
cateqiillars. While inside their cochons,
these creatures are anything but attrac-
tive. However, they emerge as beautiful
butterllies. full of brilliant colors.
The miracle of change is akin ID the
transformation of the broken b<Hly of
Jesus sealed in a grave on Good Friday
to the glorified body of the risen Lord
on the first Easter morning.
Wby are bot cross buns
served «n Easter?
During the spring equinox, ancient
tribes sought the favor of the gods for
a bountiful yield from their newly
planted crops by sacrificing an ox
(called a houn ¡thus our word "bun"]
by the Saxons). After the ritual, the
participants celebrated by eating cakes
marked on top with a symbol of the
ox horns. The symbol divided the
cakes into four equal parts, thereby
making it easy to be divided equally
for distribution.
Leaders of the early church adapted
this custom into their celebration of
Easter, with the symbol of the ox
horns being now interpreted as a sign
of the cross on whieh Jesus died.
Later, some believers thought the
buns carried magical powers and
brought at least one of them into their
homes to ward of! e\ il spirits.
Fishermen sometimes carried one
on their boats long after the Easter
celebration as a precaution against
shipwreck, x
pm 15, 1933, illustration by J.C. Leyendecker