The Nashville Christian Church draped its cross in purple and adorned the top with a crown of thorns. The color purple has historically been used to represent royalty and nobility. People typically put a purple drape cloth on the cross by Palm Sunday, or the day jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey as a king. Purple is critical during Lent and also represents the bruising and suffering Jesus experienced before His resurrection.
Get your baskets ready and your eggs dyed, Easter will be celebrated on Sunday.
Easter also known as Resurrection Day or Pascha is a Christian religious and cultural holiday. Depending on the religion, Easter is the end of the Holy Week, Easter Triduum and Lent. Pascha or Passover is also celebrated with Easter in Judaism and various forms of Orthodox Christianity.
Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday with the date based on the lunar calendar. For those asking why Easter is much earlier this year compared to years past, you are not alone. Since the year 2000 there have only been six years where Easter has been celebrated in March, including this year. Every other year it was celebrated in April.
Easter’s date is dependent on the Spring Equinox and moon cycles. The date of Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, or the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.
Easter is the holiest day in the Christian calendar, it commemorates Jesus being resurrected from the dead after his crucifixion three days prior, recognized annually with Good Friday. The earliest recorded celebration of Easter dates back to the second-century, though there may have been other celebrations before then not recorded.
The Bible speaks heavily of Jesus’ life, miracles and crucifixion but it does not mention a large rabbit who visits children with colored eggs and candies. The symbol of the Easter Bunny was first introduced to the Americas in the 1700s when German immigrants brought their tradition of an egg-laying hare named ‘Osterhase’ or ‘Oschter Haws’ to Pennsylvania.
The German tradition is thought to derive from a Pagan holiday celebrated during the spring equinox to honor the pagan goddess of fertility and spring Eostre. The Pagan holiday, called Ostara, recognized rabbits and eggs as symbols of fertility.
In this German legend, children would leave out nests and carrots for the hare similar to milk and cookies for Santa Claus during Christmas. The hare would leave colorful eggs as a gift to the children who have been good. Over time, the tradition grew from eggs to include baskets with candies, chocolates and toys.
The tradition of decorating eggs also has roots in Christianity dating back to the 1300s when eggs were considered a forbidden food during the season of Lent. People would decorate the eggs during the end of their fast to make eating them during the Easter celebration even more rewarding.
Whether you celebrate Easter Sunday, Pascha, Ostara or simply the beginning of spring. Let this weekend serve as a reminder of renewed energy, rebirth and new life.
