Its Easter today! The day of celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from his tomb on the third day after his crucifixion. After being crucified on Good Friday, according to the Christian belief, the son of God is resurrected by God, the Father on the third day, which is the Easter Sunday. This account is found in all four Gospels of the New Testament in the Bible.
History of the day
Regarded as the fulfilled prophecy of the Messiah who would be persecuted, die for our sins, and rise on the third day, Easter had its first celebration on the fourteenth of Nisan (our March-April), the date of the Jewish Passover. According to this belief, Jesus celebrated His Last Supper in the evening of the Passover and was crucified the day of the Passover.
The most popular belief is that since the Lord rose on a Sunday and this day had been set aside as the Lord's Day, this was the only possible day to celebrate His resurrection. As Christianity drew away from Judaism, some were reluctant to base the Christian celebration on the Jewish calendar.
Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon, the Pachschal full moon, after the vernal equinox. Since the date of the vernal equinox changes per year, the date of Eater too changes.
What are Easter bunny and Easter eggs?
The first images that accompany 'Easter' are definitely the cute fluffy Easter bunny and those dexterously designed eggs. How did these become the Easter images?
The rabbit is said to have its origins from the early Pagan beliefs. The most obvious is the hare's fertility. Easter comes during spring and celebrates new life. Probably, both these contexts must have merged for the rabbit to represent the day of resurrection.
The colourful eggs, on the other hand, were used by many of the ancient communities as a gift on the day, for it represented good life. In the fourth century, people presented eggs in the church to be blessed and sprinkled with holy water.
Gradually, once the custom became accepted, new traditions began to grow up around it. Eggs were dyed red for joy and in memory of Christ's blood. Very soon, egg rolling contests came to America from England, and eggs are now the most enchanting and trendy feature marking the Easter celebrations.
Celebrations amid lockdown
With the whole world locked down in homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are prohibited from church-going and attending mass sermons. But don't let this Easter pass like any other day. Check some interesting ways to celebrate your 'quarantined' Easter:
- Have the best of your time with your family- involve your grandparents and all others at home and let the feast bells ring in your rooms.
- Plan indoor games like the Easter egg hunt
- Let a small choir group add a bit of melody for the day
- Bring out the Master Chef in you and prepare the most exquisite cuisine and dishes in this Easter.
- Let the kids decorate the room, while you get busy cooking
Most importantly, find out what new you can contribute to the new way of celebrations!
