Easter - History and Traditions | 'Forward-and-Share'

"The pagan roots of Easter involve the spring festivals
of pre-Christian Europe and the Near East, which
celebrate the rebirth of vegetation, welcoming the
growing light as the sun becomes more powerful in
its course toward summer..."

Today, Wesley Berry takes us on a journey
through time and space to have a look at
the history and traditions of Easter...

Enjoy...

Loup Dargent

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The History And Traditions Of Easter
Copyright (c) 2008 Wesley Berry, AAF
Wesley Berry Flowers

Easter, the Christian festival commemorating
the resurrection of Christ, was the earliest feast day
decided upon by the ancient Christian Church. Like its
Jewish predecessor Passover, it is a movable feast, based
on the lunar calendar rather than falling on the same Sunday
every year. It is a joyous festival and a time of redemption.
It brings to an end the long period of penance that constitutes
Lent. The word is sometimes said to have been derived
from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring, but other origins
of the term more closely associated with Christian traditions
have been proposed. In Western churches it falls on a Sunday
between March 22 and April 25, depending on the date of the
first full moon after the spring equinox.
This year Easter Sunday is March 23rd.

Like many other Christian feasts, the celebration of Easter
contains a number of originally pagan or folk-religious elements
tolerated by the Church. Among these are customs associated the
Easter egg, Easter breads and other special holiday foods, and
the European concept of the Easter hare, or, in America, of the
Easter rabbit, which brings baskets of candies and colored eggs
during the night.

The pagan roots of Easter involve the spring festivals of
pre-Christian Europe and the Near East, which celebrate the
rebirth of vegetation, welcoming the growing light as the sun
becomes more powerful in its course toward summer.
It is significant that in England and Germany the Church
accepted the name of the pagan goddess "Easter"
(Anglo-Saxon Eostra - her name has several spellings) for
this new Christian holiday. In Mediterranean Europe
(Italy, Spain, and France), Christianity adopted pascha,
a word derivative of Passover, from which comes
the adjective "paschal" for things pertaining to Easter,
such as the Paschal lamb.

One of the most distinctive food elements of the Easter
celebration is the Easter egg. In earlier times, Easter eggs were
much more a part of the formal culture than they are in America
today, where individual families determine the range of the
custom. In the European village context, Easter eggs were once
used as part of one's tithe to the landlord, or given as festive
(and expected) gifts to the village pastor, the schoolmaster, the
sexton and bell-ringer, the parish gravedigger, and even the
village shepherd. Of course, they were hospitably presented to
visitors, bestowed as favors upon servants, and, above all, given
to children. Courting couples exchanged them as tokens of love,
and godparents usually regaled their godchildren with gifts
of decorated eggs.

The Easter rabbit (Easter hare in Europe) is not documented
before the seventeenth century. While the Easter hare is the
major egg supplier in European Easter celebration, there were
other runners-up in the form of egg birds, Easter hens, cranes,
storks, even foxes and other creatures. With its late origin,
scholars are still debating the reasons for the association of
the rabbit with Easter custom and lore. Among the theories of the
origin of the Easter rabbit belief, the most plausible (although
still not without difficulties) is that it may be connected in
some way with the so-called March Hare of folktale. The Easter
rabbit was believed to actually lay the eggs; hence, children
went to elaborate lengths to build attractive "nests" for the
elusive egg layer.

The elaborate decoration of Easter eggs became a major form of
home-produced folk art both in America and Europe. Among the
Pennsylvania Dutch, who produced an elaborate Easter culture,
eggs are dyed with onion skins, producing a rich reddish-brown
color, or with other natural dyes. These eggs are then
scratch-carved with designs, dates, names, or even religious
verses

In Eastern Europe, egg decoration is an ancient folk craft
treasured in families and passed down from generation to
generation. In Czarist Russia, this craft was elevated to such a
degree that it was even imitated by such famous jewelers as
Faberge. Whether created with gold leaf and sapphires or just
homemade dyes, the designs involve a variety of standard
motifs-geometrical, animal and floral. The geometrical motifs are
probably the oldest, and range from simple horizontal and
vertical lines to sectionalize the egg to sun symbols like the
tripod, or to the "endless line" forms. Some of the most complex
patterns incorporate stars and rosettes. Animal and bird designs
are the rarest.

In the family and community of all the various Christian
denominations, Easter Sunday has always been a day of joyous
celebration. In the Middle Ages it was often chosen as the day to
crown kings since Easter feasting was, and remains, quite
elaborate. Since the day marked the official end to forty days of
the Lenten fast, many special foods were prepared to mark the
occasion. Easter breads have been researched widely and form a
huge genre of ornamental foods made especially for this feast.
In America, baked ham seems to be one of the most common features
of the Easter dinner. In Europe and in parts of colonial America,
Easter was often extended to a two day celebration, with
feasting, gaming and other secular entertainments continued into
Easter Monday.

The confectionery trade began to commercialize Easter
during the 1870's, with the introduction of an entirely new
line of sweets employing Easter themes. Chocolate makers
in particular discovered that candies once only sold as luxury
foods for Christmas could become just as lucrative when
transformed into rabbits and similar gift items. Today, Easter
is one of the most important seasons for selling confectionery,
from chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and jelly beans,
to music box coconut eggs, spun sugar tulips, and edible
crucifixes filled with brandied fruit.

As you prepare for your family's Easter celebration,
remember to order flowers for the table or your hostess.
There are lots of wonderful gifts you can get at your
favorite flower shop. Not only will they have the traditional
Easter lilies, but there should be a great assortment of other
beautiful blooming plants, like hyacinth, tulips, daffodils, mums,
azaleas... the choices are endless! Arriving at an Easter
celebration with a beautiful blooming plant or a bouquet of
fresh cut flowers is a great way to thank your host or hostess.

There are many special Easter designs available this year,
and there is sure to be one that is just your style and says just
what you want to say. Don't forget those near and dear to your
heart, but too far away to visit. Your florist can make sure
friends and family get a burst of spring with a plant or bouquet
selected just for them, by you. If you have a student who is away
at school and can't get home for the holiday, order a Chocolate
Lovers Basket or Junk Food Pail filled with Easter goodies. There
are lots of possibilities, just remember to order early and give
second and third choices for your selections.

Happy Easter!

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Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of
Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers,
a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was
established in 1946.
As a member of the Henry Ford Hospital Community
Relation Board he has contributed to the community at large
(www.hospital-locator.com).
He owns both a brick and
mortar and an internet flower delivery business.

Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web
at www.800wesleys.com

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