Easter is celebrated as a major Christian feast but there are several other reasons for celebrating Easter. As per the beliefs of Christians across the globe, Easter festival is a special day that is set aside in order to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus from the state of death.
History of Easter Festival
When we start discussing the history of Easter, the reasons for celebrating the Easter festival are more complicated. The name of this holiday is a derivation from the name of a pagan, ancient goddess, Eastre which is also sometimes spelt as Eostre. As per the beliefs of Christianity, Eastre was worshipped as the goddess of spring. Eastre was majorly worshipped by several Teutonic tribes. These tribes were ministered to by the early Christians.
The history of the Easter festival is considered to be complicated. The missionaries who were keen on converting the large communities of Teutonic tribes adopted Eastre’s worshipping as their own. Since this major festival used to be at the same time as the Christian’s Jesus’ resurrection, those missionaries of that time substituted the holiday of one festival for another. Thus, this has allowed the new converts in continuing their tradition but obviously, the purpose and meaning have changed considerably.
The Easter festival’s history became even more complex as the celebration’s actual date was not completely established ever. Some folks linked this as a memorial to the Passover celebration which was a major celebration of the ancient Hebrew calendar. There are others who have linked this celebration to the celebration of the spring equinox. Finally, in the year 325 A.D., the ruler of that time Emperor Constantine met the church leader & mutually decreed that the festival of Easter would be celebrated on Sunday which falls after the first full moon post-spring equinox. Even then, the same controversy over this holiday date continues with a few Orthodox Eastern Churches and they still celebrate Easter festival at the very end of the week of Passover.
The history of the Easter festival would not be complete without the mention of Easter Eggs & Easter Bunny. These have common symbols of Easter festival and are derived from pagan and ancient traditions. The Easter festival’s pagan symbol was the hare or rabbit. The receiving & giving of eggs was also a very usual tradition in the Teutonic tribes and the eggs symbolize renewal and rebirth.
With or even without the Easter Bunny, the real meaning of Easter festival today means the glorious victory over death for the Christians across the globe. Jesus conquered death on this day & rose again to life bringing hope, love & life to this world.
How is Easter celebrated?
When it is Easter time, the supermarket shelves are filled with chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, marshmallow bunnies etc. Along with the celebrations, it is crucial to be aware of the origin of Easter as well. Unlike Valentine’s Day & Christmas that fall exactly on the same days year after year, the Easter holiday dates change annually. Easter will always be on the following Sunday of Good Friday. Thus, this has been noticed that Easter can be on as early as 22nd March or as delayed as 25th April as the Western Christianity very strictly dictate that Easter should always necessarily fall on the very next full moon after the Spring equinox.
Many Christians from across the world celebrate Easter festival with specially organized church services, candlelight, music, ringing the church bells and flowers. In addition to the same, there is also a commercial side of the Easter festival celebration. Folks gift each other with specially prepared chocolate Easter bunnies & Easter eggs. The egg rolling is also excessively popular during the Easter festival celebration. People indulge in egg rolling and people roll paint the hard-boiled eggs and there is a competition amongst the folks. The winner is the one whose egg remains in whole at the end.
Food is a major and integral part of the Easter celebrations all across the world. The friends and family get together to have a gala Easter Lunch. The very traditional dish is roasted lamb and then it is followed by a special Simmel cake. Needless to say, there are plenty of chocolate eggs. The tables would be aesthetically filled with spring flowers like tulips, white lilies and daffodils. The colors of gold and yellow are heavily used to feature the Easter celebration decorations.
Easter Sunday is one amongst the most gala and celebrated festive events amongst the entire Christian fraternity. This widely celebrated festival commemorates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death as per the writings in the Bible Testament. This holiday has become the most commercialised one with the massive sale of chocolate cakes, baskets and cards but this is still seen as one of the special days for spending some quality time with family & friends while enjoying some really lip-smacking delicacies.
Some holiday ideas to celebrate Easter 2020
In the year 2020, Easter Sunday would fall on Sunday, April 12. Thus, Good Friday would be on 10th April and 13th April would be Easter Monday and a bank holiday. You can plan your holiday for Easter well in advance to plan it well. Here are some of the destinations in Asia that you can visit during Easter 2020.
- Cambodia & Vietnam – Enjoy the temperate weather in Cambodia & Vietnam where you can view the awesome sights of the mountains & beaches, experience their rich culture & indulge in various activities here.
- Thailand – Thailand is humid & hot throughout the year & April can be the best time to visit this place. This is the perfect time for a water fight and this is also the time for Songkran, the Thai New Year.
- Nepal – March and April are the best time to visit Nepal and the temperature is warm here during these months and the rhododendrons flank trekking paths & are at the fullest bloom.
- Japan – Japan heralds the beautiful cherry blossom season during the springtime and this is the best time to visit here. This is the peak blossom season during these months and the annual spectacle draws tourists during this time from all across the globe. So, you can plan your Easter 2020 holidays to Japan.
This read would help you know a lot about the history and origin of Easter festival and we hope you plan your upcoming Easter 2020 celebrations really well and make it a memorable one.
