Russian Holidays
Easter Traditions &
Easter Celebrtion .
"On the first day of
the week, very early in the morning, the women
took the spices they had
prepared and went to the tomb. They found the
stone rolled away from
the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find
the body of the
Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly
two men in
clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
In
their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground,
but
the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the
dead?
He is not here; he has risen!"
Luke 24:1-6a
This story of the very first Easter is
as clear and simple today as it was two thousand years ago. Since then,
however, Easter has become the most important holiday in Christianity,
embracing not just a single day, but an entire season of
celebration.
The Easter season overflows with special Easter
Days like Palm
Sunday and Good
Friday, important symbols like the cross and the candles, and
interesting Easter customs like sunrise services
and parades.
Many of Easter's customs began long before the time of Christ. As people
all over the world accepted Christianity, they gave these traditions new
meanings connected to their faith in Christ and to their belief in his
Resurrection.
Many Easter customs come from the Old
World.The white Lily,
the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower.
Rabbits and colored eggs have come
from pagan antiquity as symbols of new life. The Easter rabbit, a
symbol of fertility, and in colored easter
eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the
sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as
gifts.
Easter Monday
egg rolling, a custom of European origin, has become a tradition
on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. During the Octave of
Easter in early Christian times, the newly baptized wore white garments,
white being the liturgical color of Easter and signifying light, purity,
and joy.
Easter become the greatest festival of the
Christian church . It is a movable holiday it is not always held on the
same date. In AD 325 the church council of Nicaea decided that it should
be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after
the vernal equinox of March 21. Easter can come as early as March 22 or as
late as April 25.
Lets take look at history of Easter and World Easter
traditions and rituals:
Russian Easter-Pascha
Pascha is the highest celebration of the Orthodox Church. Russian Orthodox churches herald in the glorious event with a service, beginning at midnight on Pascha Sunday. After the service, proclaiming Christ's Resurrection, Easter baskets are blessed and shared. This signifies the end of the Great Lent, a forty day period of fasting.
Holiday fare includes "Pascha bread", which is adorned with crosses made of raisins. The Pascha is served with Easter sweet bread, or kulich, which is accompanied by vivid red colored hard boiled eggs. Red colour is a symbol of Easter and beauty. More>>>
Ancient Springtime Celebrations
Long before Jesus walked on the earth,
people celebrated when spring arrived. Many of Easter's interesting and
often unusual customs began hundreds, even thousands of years ago during
the spring! In ancient times, people did not know why the seasons changed.
They thought spirits or gods and goddesses guided the times of the
seasons. Some even thought the sun died when winter came! When spring
arrived, they were happy to see plants blooming, animals coming out of
hibernation, and birds returning from far away. These ancient people
expressed their joy in the arrival of spring with many different
celebrations.
The Celts lived in what is now
the greater part of western Europe, mainly from 2000 B.C. to 100 B.C.
Their religion was called Druidism, and they believed in good and
evil spirits. More>>>
The Names of Easter
Early Christians called Easter- Pesach, which is the
Hebrew name for Passover. Today, names for Easter all over the world are
similar to the word Pesach.
In France, Easter is called Paques;
In Spain, it is Pascua;
In Italy, Pasqua.
The Norwegians call Easter Paaske,
The Dutch call it Paach
The Swedish call it Pasko
In Albania, Easter is Pashke;
In Greece and Russia, Easter is Pascha.
Our English name "Easter" is More>>>
The Symbols Of Easter
The Customs Of Easter
All the traditions of Easter,
from the eggs and rabbits to the hymns and legends, blend together to make
this wonderful holiday a time of joy and celebratin. We celebrate Easter
with singing and praises to God because we remember that Jesus Christ is
alive. He lives today to give each person new life and hope. This is the
truth of Easter.
Special Days of Easter
The Legends of Easter
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