March, when the Spring arrives, comes the rebirth of everything. Saying farewell to the long winter, we finally ushered in the warm spring breeze. In the hopeful Spring season, Easter, an important holiday in Western countries, is approaching. How much do you know about this traditional festival?
Origin
The Bible New Testament records that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross in AD 30-33 and resurrected on the third day. Easter is named after the resurrection of Jesus.
According to Christian beliefs, Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for the sins of the world; three days later, Jesus Christ was physically resurrected to give believers eternal life. Therefore, in Christianity, Easter is the most important holiday and the peak of Christian faith. It is considered by Christians to symbolize eternal life and forgiveness of sins.
Date
The time of Easter was originally the same day as the Jewish Passover, but the church decided not to use the Jewish calendar at the first Council of Nicaea in the 4th century AD, so it was changed to the first Sunday after the full moon of the spring equinox every year. Historians also calculated that the first Sunday after the full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21) is the day when the Bible speaks of Jesus' resurrection based on the Bible and the date of the Passover of the Israelites. Since the vernal equinox is not fixed every year, the exact date of Easter is also uncertain. But the festival is roughly between March 22 and April 25. April 15, 2022 is Good Friday and April 18 is Easter.
Traditions
In the West, Easter-related items are Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs. Stories had it that Easter eggs are sent by the Easter Rabbit. Some people like to paint various faces or patterns on the eggs. During the festival, people give Easter eggs to each other, symbolizing life and prosperity.
In addition, early Christians in Mesopotamia dyed their eggs red to commemorate the blood of Jesus Christ; Easter also had the habit of eating ham and hot cross buns, as well as the forty before Easter The day of fasting was commemorated, which later evolved into the Christian Lent or Lent and so on.
Showing the Holiday Spirits
1. Easter eggs
During the festival, according to traditional customs, people boil the eggs and paint them red, which represents the swan weeping blood and the happiness after the birth of the goddess of life. Adults and children gather in groups of three or five to play a game with Easter eggs. They roll the Easter eggs on the ground or on the soil slope. The last one that breaks is the winner, and the winner will get all the Easter eggs from the players. Legend has it that the egg rolling back and forth on the ground can make the devil constantly tremble and suffer.
This tradition has a long history, and the egg is used as a symbol of Easter because it heralds the arrival of new life, and people believe that new life will be born out of it.
2. Easter Bunny
Another symbol of Easter is the bunny because it has a strong reproductive ability and is regarded as the creator of new life. During the festival, adults will vividly tell children that Easter eggs will hatch into bunnies. Many families also put some Easter eggs on the garden lawn for the children to play with.
3. Lily
On Easter day, beautiful lilies can be seen everywhere, and the charming lilies symbolize holiness and purity: people love to look for the blooming lilies at Easter in spring, which are shaped like trumpet lilies, representing The holiness of Jesus Christ in the heart also seems to be proclaiming the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ loudly.
Celebrations
In the past, in most Western countries, Easter was generally held with a grand religious procession. The marchers wore robes, held crosses and marched barefoot. They dressed up as Christian historical figures and sang carols to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Today, the festival procession has lost the strong religious colour of the past. The parade is full of festive atmosphere and has strong local characteristics.
1. Family gathering
Easter is a public holiday, government departments, schools and business outlets are closed, and it is a day to attend church activities or family gatherings. A typical Easter lunch or dinner resembles a Thanksgiving meal and includes turkey or ham, green beans, potatoes, yams, and pie. Also, some outdoor parks hold Easter egg hunts.
2. Entertainment games
On Easter Eve, kids dress up their friends and family by colouring eggs. Some of these eggs are hard-boiled, and some are just empty shells. On Easter morning, children will find Easter baskets in front of their beds full of chocolate eggs, Easter bunnies, fluffy chicks and dolls.
3. Welcome the Holy Candle
On Easter Day, people light candles in front of churches to show sanctification and welcome holy candles into thousands of households. On this day, the happiest thing for the children is to send the torch to each house. They lit the branches with holy fire in front of the church and then ran to each household, with a cheerful, festive atmosphere.
4. Dress-up
The arrival of Easter also makes people change into new clothes one after another. In the past, Christians would go to church for baptism before the festival and then put on their new robes to celebrate the new birth of Christ. The tradition of wearing new clothes remains to this day as it is considered bad luck not to wear new clothes at festivals. During Easter, people also like to thoroughly clean their homes, indicating that a new life begins.
Another year of Easter. On this special day, although there are still troublesome pandemics and wars that have not yet subsided, spring has come after all. Let us forget the troubles for a while, tidy up our homes, and hope that the power of life will bring new hope to the world.
Wow Nature wishes everyone a Happy Easter!
Part of the content and pictures of the article are taken from the Internet
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WOW Nature Outdoor Discovery was established in Beijing, China in 2015, and is committed to advocating a lifestyle that is close to nature, healthy, balanced, and environmentally friendly. In 2016, WOW Nature settled in Canada and registered as a non-profit organization. Through carefully designed outdoor exploration activities, Wow Nature leads everyone to walk into nature and deeply experience local culture in the process of "playing", thereby improving the quality of life, enhancing parent-child relationships, expanding social circles, and gaining health and happiness!
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