Posted on 04/05/2012 9:17:44 AM PDT by dangus
In past years, I've debunked all sorts of nonsense about supposedly pagan origins of various Easter traditions, and Easter itself. However, since the Western Church has lost some of its ancient traditions, I was unaware of the Christian origins of Easter eggs. Since attending Eastern rites, occasionally, I have learned the truth:
Traditionally, Christians have fasted from not only meat on Friday, but from all meat, fish, and dairy, all week long. Thus, just before Lent, great Feasts are held to consume all the spoilable foods that are abstained from during Lent. One can wait until after Lent is over to slaughter the cattle. But you can't tell the chickens to hold off on laying their eggs.
By the end of Lent, therefore, it was quite natural for medieval and ancient Christians to have accumulated a *lot* of eggs. And they're more likely to stay fresh if they are boiled ahead of time. And as they gathered in the house, they naturally became a symbol of anticipating Easter. In turn, they became greatly decorated.
Today, children are less apt to get excited over eggs, since they no longer say to themselves, "Yay! We can finally eat something besides Hummus!" So to represent the anticipation for Easter, the eggs are made of chocolate. Of course, it is sad that in our secular time, the meaning of Easter itself is being lost, but don't blame the eggs, but rather blame a culture which has come to associate abstinence with nothing other than deprivation.
I have also read and was told by one priest that all the eggs were died red — for the blood shed during the Passion.
On the inside the white of the egg represents the purity of Christ.
And the yolk of yellow represents the sunrise of the Resurrection of the Lord.
I was not ever able to verify this, but it seems to have some legend legs.
**Lent itself is pagan in origin.**
Do you have a Bible? Open it to the Temptation in the Desert,
Christ fasted for 40 days — this is very Christian, not pagan.
Where did you get that idea anyway?
That’s why, in the new translations, you dod not find the word, Easter. Instead you find the original words, Pasch and paschal.
I love the return to Pasch and Paschal. How about you?
do not find
I appreciate your style, but:
The word, “Easter” is not pagan. There is no evidence to support Bede’s presumption that Eostremonath refered to a god named “Eostre.” Besides, “Easter” is called “Pascal Sunday,” formally in the English Catholic world, and some variation on “Paschach” throughout the rest of the world. “Easter” means, simply, the turning towards East, so that the Roman world was facing the Temple of Jerusalem. If, in fact, “East” is related to a goddess, “Eostre,” it’s most likely secondarily.
I have definitely heard that one before.
Peter Boyles of KHOW in Denver had someone on talking about this very sorta subject this morning.
Very interesting.
I do indeed, and I recently learned that the Spanish word for Easter is “Pascua”.
As far as I know, it's O.E. Easterdæg, from Eastre (Northumbrian Eostre, goddess of "east" and dawn and spring.)(Root word of "estrogen," too.) Bede says Anglo-Saxon Christians adopted her name and many of the celebratory practices for their Mass of Christ's resurrection.
Almost all languages use a variant of "Pascha": Pashkët; Pask; Pasqua; Påske; Pasen; Pâques; Pascuas; Paskah; etc. etc. etc.
But it doesn't matter to me, really, whether you use the word from Old English or Koine Greek or Church Slavonic. As long as the reality is the same.
Myh favorite Easter, uh, Paschal greetings:
Danish – Kristus er opstanden! Sandelig Han er Opstanden!
Rastafarian – Krestos a uprisin! Seen, him a uprisin fe tru!
Indeed, but in Spanish “Pascua” also refers to Christmas. A common Christmas greeting is “felices Pascuas”. When referring to Easter/Pasch... it is customary to call it “Pascua de Resurreccion” (to avoid misunderstandings, I reckon). However, I was taught that the word “Pascua” comes from the Hebrew “Pessach” (Passover).
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