EASTER – SPRING – THE EXPECTATION OF NEW LIFE

Sandra — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:13:22 +0000

OSTARA: PAGAN GODDESS OF SPRING

Ostara, Goddess of Spring, Drawn by Johannes Gehrts. 1884
Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons

Ostara, an obscure Germanic goddess, lent her name to the annual season of Easter. Anglo-Saxon accounts mention feasts in her honor held in April.

EASTER: CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION

Drawing of Jesus’ Resurrection by Jim Padgett.
Wikimedia Commons

The early Christian Church superimposed its teaching on many ancient holidays, among them celebrations to welcome Spring’s return.

Easter is the most significant celebration on the Christian calendar. It marks Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death into life eternal. Christians believe that if they believe in Christ and His Resurrection, they will have eternal spiritual life. Their greeting on Easter morning: “He is Risen.” Response: “He is Risen Indeed.”

EASTER SYMBOL: THE EGG

Easter eggs dyed with onions & egg colors.
Photo by L. Kenzel. Wikimedia Commons

Many cultures celebrate the coming of spring with eggs – often dyed, decorated, & given as gifts. One of the expenses listed in Edward I’s household records is 18 pence paid to dye 450 eggs decorate them with gold leaf. [Hmmm. 18 pence in the 13^th century equals about US$60 today. I guess gold leaf was less expensive then.]

The egg has a long association with life. Many cultures imagine the world’s origin in an enormous egg. Christians draw symbolism from the egg’s hard shell, which they equate with the tomb that housed Jesus after his death by crucifixion. The Christian metaphor for Jesus leaving the tomb is the cracking of an egg to release its contents.

FABREGE EGGS

The most famous Easter eggs are those created by the House of Faberge (1885-1917) in Tsarist St. Petersburg

Faberge egg on display at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons

The Faberge tradition began when Tsar Alexander III gave the first Faberge egg to Tsarina Maria Fedorovna. She was delighted. Tsar Alexander appointed Peter Carl Faberge (1846-1920) as “goldsmith by special appointment to the imperial crown.” Imperial eggs became an annual event. After 1887, no one knew what the egg would contain until the gift was opened. The only requirement: Each Faberge egg must have a surprise inside.

Easter is a time of renewal

A time when when each of us can experience rebirth

Open up yourself to find the surprise inside.

(Research taken from http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/easteregghistry.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

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EASTER – SPRING – THE EXPECTATION OF NEW LIFE