|
|
Our Web Home
Of triumphant gladness, God hath brought forth Israel Into joy from sadness; Loosed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke Jacob's sons and daughters; Led the, with unmoistened foot, Through the Red Sea Waters.
'Tis the spring of souls today; 
|
|
Easter has been historically a time of spring festivals. Celebrated as the religious holiday in christian countries,
it is in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But the celebrations of Easter have
many customs and legends that are pagan in origin and have nothing to do with Christianity.
The Christian festival of Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The spring festival has its roots
in the Jewish Passover, which commemorates Israel's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, and in the
Christian reinterpretation of its meaning after the crucifixion of Jesus during the Passover of AD c.30 and the
proclamation of his resurrection three days later. Early Christians observed Easter on the same day as
Passover (14-15 Nisan, a date governed by a lunar calendar). In the 2d century, the Christian celebration
was transferred to the Sunday following the 14-15 Nisan, if that day fell on a weekday. Originally, the Christian
Easter was a unitive celebration, but in the 4th century Good Friday became a separate commemoration of the
death of Christ, and Easter was thereafter devoted exclusively to the resurrection.
According to the Venerable Bede, the name Easter is derived from the pagan spring festival of the Anglo-Saxon
goddess Eostre, and many folk customs associated with Easter (for example, Easter eggs) are of pagan
origin. Easter Day is currently determined as the first Sunday after the full moon on or after March 21. The
Eastern Orthodox churches, however, follow the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar, so their
usually falls several weeks later than the Western Easter.
The Christian feast called Easter in English is called Passover in many other languages (Pascha, Pascuas,
Paques). The Passover lamb is interpreted as foreshadowing the sacrifice on the cross of Jesus, the lamb
of God. 
The emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross where the dearest and best For a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true; |
|
Jesus of Nazareth, a 1st-century Jewish teacher who was crucified by the Romans, is believed by Christians to be
the Christ or messiah through whom God was revealed to the world and whose death reconciles the world to God.
Knowledge of Jesus as an historical person is provided mainly by the New Testament, primarily the Gospels.
Jesus was born in Roman-ruled Palestine during the reign of the
Roman emperor Augustus and grew up in the Galilean village of Nazareth. Associated early in
his career with John the Baptist, he gathered around him a group of disciples attracted by his interpretation
of Jewish law and his miracles, especially his exorcisms and healing of the sick. Jesus' criticisms of
Jewish religious leaders, coupled with the political rhetoric he used in announcing that God's rule was
about to replace human rule, led to mounting opposition toward him in both the Jewish and Roman
establishments. Arrested in Jerusalem, he was tried, condemned, and executed as a claimant to Jewish
kingship. This death by crucifixion--a form of execution used by the Romans to punish non-Roman citizens
who threatened Roman authority--took place when Pontius Pilate was Roman governor of Judea (AD 26-36).
Jesus' followers subsequently claimed that God had raised him from the dead, and Christianity, the
movement launched in his name, quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world. The Roman emperors
Claudius and Nero took actions to suppress Christianity in the middle of the 1st century, and by the end of
the century, Jewish authorities in Palestine had adopted policies aimed at sharply differentiating Christians
from Jews.
 All the Gospels attest that Jesus' ministry began when he was baptized by John the Baptist and report that at the moment of his baptism a divine voice was heard assuring him of his unique relationship with God. After this experience he saw himself as empowered and commissioned to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God foretold by the prophets. As God's messenger, he summoned into the service of the kingdom those willing to leave home, family, and livelihood and devote themselves to calling people to prepare for the new age that was to be established on Earth. Chief among his followers were a group of men referred to in the Gospels as the apostles or the Twelve. The apostles mentioned most frequently are the fishermen Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. In Luke 4, Jesus proclaims himself the messenger of God spoken of by the prophet Isaiah who would reach out by word and deed to the poor, the outcast, and the suffering. Of special significance among Jesus' miracles were his exorcisms. In his time it was widely believed by both Jews and pagans that those who exhibited strange or pathological behavior were possessed by demons. Others claimed the power to expel these demons, but Jesus' interpretation of his own exorcisms was unique. He declared that he performed these feats by divine power and that these instances of God's triumph over the powers of evil were signs that his reign was already breaking into the present. Jesus taught his disciples both directly by precepts and indirectly by means of stories or parables. Matthew 5-7 contains a summary of his ethical teachings, known as the Sermon on the Mount. Two of his dominant themes were the command to love one's neighbor and the assurance that God's purpose is achieved through the suffering of the righteous. Love of neighbor includes even love of one's enemies. Departing from the commonplace notion that suffering is a sign of divine disfavor, Jesus explained to his followers that being a servant of God inevitably involves suffering. This idea was objectionable, not only to those of traditional piety, but also to those who were persuaded that God's people had to take direct action militarily and in resistance movements if Roman power was to be overthrown and an independent Jewish national state reestablished. Jesus refused to allow his followers to take up arms and advised questioners to pay taxes to the Roman state. In contrast to his followers' hopes for a conquering Messiah, he repeatedly told them that he would be rejected by the authorities, suffer, and die in fulfillment of his messianic role. They could not accept this, even though some of them shared in a visionary experience on a mountain--the Transfiguration--that was meant to assure them that beyond his sacrificial death was a day of triumphant vindication. He was to be raised up from the dead and exalted as God's chosen instrument.
 The largest section of each of the Gospels is devoted to the final events of the conflict between Jesus and the civil and religious authorities. The last confrontation takes place in Jerusalem, the center of Jewish history and hopes for the future. Jesus takes the initiative in bringing things to a head by entering the great temple of Jerusalem and denouncing the commercial operations that were carried on there in the selling of animals and other materials for sacrifices. He predicts the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, but this was to be a sign that God would act in history in a climactic way to restore and vindicate his true people. They would come from all over the Earth to share in the joys of his kingdom. Meanwhile, however, they must learn to accept suffering, including Jesus' own suffering and death. The remembrance of that seeming tragedy was to be perpetuated in the community through the solemn meal of the New covenant, the Communion or Eucharist, which Jesus shared as his Last Supper with the Apostles. He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, and the others abandoned him when he was seized by the authorities in the Garden of Gethsemane. A handful of faithful women remained with him when he died at Calvary. The women returned to his tomb on the third day after his death and were astonished to find it empty. An angel told them that Jesus was alive and that the fellowship they had enjoyed with him would be renewed. This day of Jesus' resurrection is celebrated by Christians on Easter Sunday.
Our triumphant holy day, Allelulah! Who did once upon the cross, Allelulah! Suffer to redeem our loss, Allelulah!
Hymns of praise then let us sing, Allelulah!
But the pain which He endured, Allelulah!
Sing we to our God above, Allelulah!
 |
|
Of all the symbols associated with Easter the egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the most
identifiable. The customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries
Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and were used
in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs
the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines. In medieval
time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children
along with other Easter gifts.
Different cultures have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honor
the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece. In parts of Germany and Austria green eggs are used on
Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday). Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in special patterns of gold
and silver. Austrian artists design patterns by fastening ferns and tiny plants around the eggs, which are then
boiled. The plants are then removed revealing a striking white pattern. The Poles and Ukrainians
decorate eggs with simple designs and colors. A number of eggs are made in the distinctive manner
called pysanki (to design, to write). Pysanki eggs are a masterpiece of skill and workmanship. Melted
beeswax is applied to the fresh white egg. It is then dipped in successive baths of dye. After each dip wax
is painted over the area where the preceding color is to remain. Eventually a complex pattern of lines and
colors emerges into a work of art. In Germany and other countries eggs used for cooking where not broken,
but the contents were removed by piercing the end of each egg with a needle and blowing the contents into a
bowl. The hollow eggs were died and hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter Week. The Armenians
would decorate hollow eggs with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious designs.
 |
|
Eggs play an important part in Easter sports. The Romans celebrated the Easter season by running
races on an oval track and giving eggs as prizes. Two traditional Easter egg games are the Easter
Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll. On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate
the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden while they where asleep. The searching might continue though
out the house with the older children helping the youngest. Sometimes prizes of candy are awaiting the child
finding the most eggs.
Easter egg hunts can are also part of a community's celebration of holiday. The eggs are hidden in public
places and the children of the community are invited to find the eggs. The rules of an Easter Egg Roll are to
see who can roll an egg the greatest distance or can make the roll without breaking it, usually down a grassy
hillside or slope. Maybe the most famous egg rolling takes place on the White House Lawn. Hundreds of
children come with baskets filled with brightly decorated eggs and roll them down the famous lawn, hoping the
President of the United States is watching the fun.
 |
|
The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals
known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season. The bunny as an Easter symbol
seems to have it's origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first
edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s. And were made of pastry and sugar .
The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania
Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws" was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure"
next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. The children believed that if they were good the "Oschter Haws"
would lay a nest of colored eggs. The children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn
or the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests . The use of elaborate Easter
baskets would come later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.
Hoppin' down the bunny trail, Hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way
Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy
He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Here' comes Peter Cottontail
 
 
Harry the Cat Jo's World Kristi's Animations The Animation Factory
& Holiday Buttons© made by Laurie **Please Do Not Take**.
|