Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter

Easter means different things to different people. For Christians, Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb after being buried for three days.

Interestingly, Easter corresponds to the coming of Spring. 

The name Easter itself is widely believed to be derived from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility.  Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.  Some of the traditions associated with the festival are the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent spring.

Another name for Easter is Pasch, which comes from Pesach (Passover), a Jewish celebration which also takes place at around the same time of the year.

There is also the Germanic goddess Eostre, whose feast was historically held on the first full moon after the vernal equinox. On this date, she was said to mate with the solar god and conceive a child that would be born 9 months later on the winter solstice. She was symbolized by a rabbit and an egg, representing fertility and the possibility for new life.

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