Religion: A passage to freedom and eternal life
In the Jewish religion, Easter, called "Passover", commemorates the passage of the Hebrew people in the Land of Israel. It's Easter Day the Red Sea would have opened to vent Moses and his people from the yoke of Egyptian Pharaoh. "Pesach" is the party of freedom and marks the birth of the people of Israel. The celebrations last for eight days.
In Christianity, the Gospels tell of the death and resurrection of Christ during the celebration of Passover, the feast therefore borrow the same name. Since the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Jewish and Christian Easter does not always happen at the same time. The famous Christian celebration of Jesus' resurrection three days after his death, and his passage to eternal life. It marks the end of Lent, a period of 40 days of fasting and purification for a prepare believers for the resurrection of Christ.
Both religious and secular, the Easter holidays are celebrated since ancient times. Over time, they inherit the traditions of various religions and popular beliefs. In Europe, customs mingle and stand to give each party its special character.
Slavic tradition: The art of "Pisanki" and wet Monday
If eating eggs at Easter is common for several millennia, Poland, these are not just any. The "Pisanki" eggs are carefully hand-decorated. Each region has its own reasons and sometimes very different production techniques. Almost all Catholic families paint for a week before the party. On Sunday morning, eggs, symbol of the resurrection of Christ, are tasted after being blessed in church. The next day, the popular tradition of "wet Monday" is perpetuated for almost 2,000 years in Poland but also in Hungary. Initially, the boys forgot their manners and watered the girls with water, symbol of life and fertility. Today, men and women watered each other during the holiday.
In Northern Europe, Easter Halloween tunes
In Sweden and Finland, the tradition is that children dress in "Paskkarringar": the "Easter witches." From door to door, they ask for candy or coins, a custom eerily similar to the American Halloween. In fact, this tradition is linked to an old superstition that witches joined the devil during Easter.
Bells or rabbits, which brings eggs?
During Holy Thursday, churches bells stop ringing to meet three days of mourning. To explain this silence small French children, adults say that the bells are parties to Rome to be blessed by the Pope. When they returned on Sunday, they bring eggs, they sow in their paths.
In the Anglo-Saxon and Germanic culture are not the bells that bring eggs, but hares or rabbits. Pagan symbols of fertility, these animals would also be linked to the ancient goddess of the name "Easter" in English and "Ostern" in German. The origin of these legends is not well known but they would have appeared in the twelfth century in Germany before spreading everywhere.
If today is for many Easter chocolate related party, he is in fact appeared in the celebrations at the beginning of the nineteenth century, thanks to the refining techniques cocoa paste and the development of first molds.
No comments:
Post a Comment