“Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals.” – Charles M. Crowe
Many Christians celebrate Easter Sunday as the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, which is written in the New Testament of the Christian bible.
However, the roots of the Easter holiday’s traditions and activities can be traced back to pagan celebrations. The name Easter comes from Eostara, the goddess of rebirth. In early times the Feast of Eostara celebrated earth’s resurrection and rebirth. Easter Sunday is celebrated on the 17th of April in the 2022 calendar.
If you ask us to give some names of the most festive events among Christians worldwide, no doubt Easter Sunday comes in the first five. It is significant of events which hold great importance for Christians, as it commemorates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death, as written in the Christian bible.
With Easter Sunday falling on Sunday, April 4th in 2021, this year’s Easter Sunday falls on the April 17th which is later than usual. The Easter date depends on the ecclesiastical approximation of the March equinox. In 325CE the Council of Nicaea decided that the Easter date would be the first Sunday after the first full moon taking place on or after the March equinox. Easter is therefore delayed one week if the full moon is on Sunday.
Christians celebrate Easter in various ways worldwide, yet most of them celebrate it in an equal manner. Therefore, many Christians celebrate Easter with special church services, music, candlelight, flowers and the chime of church bells. Country wise, Easter processions are held in countries such as the Philippines and Spain. As we mentioned before, many Christians view Easter as the greatest feast of the Church year. It is a day of joy and celebration significantly commemorating that Jesus Christ is risen, according to Christian belief.
In Italy, many towns and villages have sacred dramas about the episodes of the Easter story held in the piazzas on Easter Day. Pastries called corona di nove are baked in the form of a crown. Easter in Poland is celebrated with meals involving the family that include ham, sausages, salads, babka (a Polish cake) and mazurka, or sweet cakes filled with nuts, fruit and honey.
Although Easter maintains great religious significance, many children in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, think of it as a time to get new spring clothes, to decorate eggs and to participate in Easter egg hunts where eggs are hidden by the Easter Bunny. It’s like the new year celebrations for Sri Lankans where we buy new clothes, engage in various religious events and games. Some children receive Easter baskets full of candy, snacks, and presents around this time of the year.
Thus, like most Christian ceremonial days Easter Sunday is a day filled with joy, as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow interprets, “Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees filled all the air with fragrance and with joy.”
To conclude with let us highlight an important message derived from Easter eggs;
“The Easter egg symbolizes our ability to break out of the hardened, protective shell we’ve surrounded ourselves with…” – Sioban Shaw
