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We've been celebrating Easter for over two thousand years, making it one of our longest-standing yearly events. You probably know the holiday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Still, hopefully, you might know a few more surprising facts about this event by the time you finish reading this article.
Known as a Christian holiday, Easter commemorates the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead, three days after being crucified by the Romans. The Easter period begins with Lent - a 40 day period of prayer and sacrifice to mark the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, being tempted by Satan. During these 40 days, many people still choose to give up their vices. Lent concludes with Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday (the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem), Maundy Thursday (commemorating The Last Supper), and Good Friday (the crucifixion of Jesus.)
So what do eggs and rabbits have to do with all this? Well, eggs are a traditional symbol of rebirth, fertility, and restoration - a great link to the resurrection of Christ and the emerging Spring. They may also symbolise the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb. Rabbits, too, were a symbol of fertility and rebirth, being closely linked with the goddess Eostre.
Long before Easter, Pagans were celebrating the Spring Equinox - when night and day exist in balance again - and the Anglo-Saxon goddess of rebirth, Eostre - where we get the name 'Easter' from. As briefly mentioned above, Christians have used some pagan symbols in their celebration of Easter, mainly the images of eggs and rabbits, both of which were symbols of Eostre and used in the Pagan commemoration of spring.
Some Pagans still carry out rituals to celebrate, such as painting eggs - a Druid and Eastern European custom that we still do to celebrate Easter today.
Even though the name 'Easter' is used in the English-speaking world, many other countries call it 'Pascha.' Pascha is the Aramaic spelling of the Hebrew word 'Pesach' which means 'Passover.'
Passover is the Jewish holiday celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, God commands Moses to tell the Israelites to mark their doors with lamb's blood so the Angel of Death may pass over their houses and they would not be touched by the death of their firstborn - the final plague in the Plagues of Egypt.
Like the Christian Holy Week, Passover lasts for eight days and is celebrated in the spring, with the date changing each year. Unleavened bread called Matzo is eaten at Passover Seder - the traditional Passover dinner - to symbolise that the Jewish people left Egypt so quickly that they didn't have time to allow their bread to rise.
However you celebrate Easter, Passover, or Spring, we hope you enjoy the upcoming festivals!
