Though originally a pagan ceremony, the Easter story is now at the heart of Christianity, and the date of Easter changes each year. Several other Christian festivals are dated according to the reference date of Easter. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s the most important of all Christian festivals, and the one celebrated with the greatest joy.
Sentenced to death, on Good Friday, Jesus Christ was hanged upon a cross, between two convicted thieves, and upon the wooden cross, he died. His body was taken down from the cross, and buried in a cave. The tomb was guarded, and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no one could steal his body.
On the Sunday following his crucifixion and death, some women visited the grave, and found that the stone had been moved, and that the tomb was empty. Jesus himself was seen that day, and for days afterwards by many people. His followers realized that God had raised Jesus from the dead.
On Easter, Churches are filled with flowers, and there are special hymns and songs, but not all Easter customs are Christian. Customs like the Easter Bunny are Pagan in origin. In ancient times, the Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a festival honoring their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Easter. When the second-century Christian missionaries encountered the tribes of the north with their pagan celebrations, they converted them to Christianity, in a secretive and round about manner. It would have been suicide for the very early Christian converts to celebrate their holy days in ways that didn’t coincide with celebrations that already existed. To save lives, the missionaries spread their religious messages slowly throughout the populations by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but doing so in a Christian manner.
Coincidentally, the pagan festival of Easter occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. Because of that, it made sense, to alter the festival to make it a Christian celebration, as converts were slowly won over. The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter. |
|
|
