Christian Easter

A Brief History of Easter

The Easter season and festivals that coincide with it have long been celebrated with varying types of ceremonies, reenactments, and celebrations.This holiday in the Christian religion is known as being the date that Christiandoms savior, Jesus Christ, was resurrected following his crucifixion three days prior, known as Good Friday in some sects. Easter was traditionally celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, or first day of spring, but this has been replaced with a complicated system that varies the date from year to year. Dates for celebration of the occasion also vary according to the type of church one attends or the sect of Christianity that one follows.

The three days leading up to Easter is usually filled with reenactments of the crucifixion of Jesus, the sealing of his burial chamber, and his meeting with his mother, Mary, and his followers following his resurrection. Certain sects of Christianity will celebrate this day with their yearly communion, symbolic of the notorious last supper that Jesus held with his followers prior to his death. Other branches of Christianity, however, will take communion each week as a reminder of his last supper and death. Another popular tradition for Christian churches on Easter is to mark the day with a sunrise service held outdoors to be timed with the sunrise. This sunrise is often used as a metaphor for the son of God rising from the dead following his crucifixion.

After many, often solemn, reminders of the suffering and death of their savior, Jesus, Christians often mark the rest of the day with feasts and other celebrations. Often times these celebrations are held at the churches with the congregation in attendance after the early morning service. Activities include Easter egg hunts for the children, visits by the Easter bunny (in the form of a costumed adult), and copious amounts of food and drink.

One of the newer Easter additions, loved by children around the world, is the Easter Bunny, a carryover from Pagan traditions from the region of present-day Germany. This rabbit was associated with the vernal equinox as it was considered a symbol of great fertility for the coming spring. The eggs, seemingly out of place, that are carried by the Easter Bunny are an addition from the Catholic church's restriction of eggs during Lent, the season following up to, and ended by, Easter. Eggs are also seen as a fertility symbol in their own right as they are the beginnings of a life.

Many locations around the world celebrate Easter in the town as a social and spring time get together rather than a religious holiday. Often times, events will include Easter egg dying and decorating, as well as several other events involving eggs, community cooking, and door to door begging for candy from children in exchange for willow branches. Many of these traditions are a blend of several different religions and cultures and have created wonderful new celebrations that not just Christians participate in.

Some culture have bizarre celebrations such as the pretend beating and spanking of women in exchange for a decorated egg to help keep their beauty for the next year. Throwing of cold water on the men will be seen later in the day as women are allowed to reciprocate the affection later that afternoon.

Some Christian religious sects do not celebrate the Easter holiday at all as they feel the day is rooted in Paganism and therefore considered evil or wrong in the views of their belief system. Other sects feel that commemorating a certain day over another should never be practiced as all days should be looked upon with the same religious regard. Still other branches will mark the occasion with a feast recognizing the last supper that Jesus held with his followers, but will not hold any other events as they feel the holiday is too modern and over-commercialized.

The Christian holiday of Easter has become more than a religious holiday over the centuries and is now enjoyed by young and old across the globe regardless of faith or belief system. In addition to churches, many schools and community centers will have special days off or occasions and festivals to mark the season. Many also view the celebrations of Easter as the celebrations of a new spring time and new year of bounty wrapped up in a religious package and still attend a religious service for the community aspect of celebration, despite their beliefs.