After Carnival, which is an expansive party, the next iconic, introspective and long-awaited celebration is Easter. In fact, the two are very connected, because when the first festivity ends on Tuesday, the paschal period already begins on Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins, with fasting, prayers and penances, considering the Christian tradition.
Lent ends with Holy Week, on Thursday, when there is the washing of the feet. On the date, the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles is also remembered, when he revealed the facts that would follow and would end in his death. The so-called Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Him, thus determining the so-called Paschal Triduum. It is on Sunday that Easter is celebrated, at the time of His resurrection.
However, this understanding seems to be getting lost and the joy of giving and receiving chocolate eggs and the like prevails, which, in current times, is also gaining strength due to the creativity of the industries in producing increasingly attractive delicacies. Therefore, it is necessary to rescue the true importance of Easter. So, with this text, reflect on the date!
What does Easter mean?
The word “Easter”, for us, came from the Latin “pascha” and its adjectives “pascal” and “pascoal”. But she, in turn, was based on the Hebrew term “pessach”, which means “passage”. This term comes from the Greek “paskha” and the Aramaic “PasHâ”. It is quite old and, over the ages, it has gained different meanings.
Easter was a country festival, known as the Moon Party, as it was believed that this satellite regulated nature, the fertility of the earth, animal and human, being the symbol of renewal of life. Peasants celebrated it at the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, in March. During the period, eating lamb was common in the celebration. It was celebrated by the Hebrew people, before the night they were freed from slavery in Egypt, when it came to have the meaning known today as “passage” and which was incorporated with another interpretation by Christianity.
Although there are elements of the celebration of the spring equinox, spirituality is the defining point in the meaning of what is one of the main liturgical feasts. Liberation, rebirth, repentance, forgiveness, communion and charity are the aspects that characterize this period. Everyone somehow connects to the divine and celebrates life. So, from here, understand specifically, the meaning and importance of Easter.
Easter as deliverance
In Judaism, the true importance of Passover is in remembering and celebrating the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and reaffirming the freedom and divine independence of the nation of Israel.
About 3.500 years ago, the Hebrews were freed from slavery in Egypt ruled by Ramses II. Moses, raised in Pharaoh's court, asked him to free the Hebrews under his rule, as he wanted to fulfill the mission of taking them to Canaan, the Promised Land.
However, the Hebrews worked in pharaonic buildings, in agriculture, in livestock and in all kinds of tasks in Egypt, receiving little or no payment. Soon, Pharaoh denied the request. In order to soften his heart, nine plagues were sent by God. But he was not convinced, not least because he saw himself as a deity. It was only with the tenth plague, known as the "passing of the destroying angel" over the houses of Egypt, with the death of the firstborn, that he then ordered Moses to leave there with the Hebrew people. At that point, Pharaoh had already lost his first son as a result of this plague.
Easter as rebirth
Most religions based on Christianity understand that the real importance of Easter lies in understanding what the resurrection of Jesus Christ represents, three days after His death by crucifixion. In this context, the word “Easter” and the meaning of passage are relevant to bring to the understanding the resurrection as a passage from death to eternal life and that the spirit has primacy over matter.
Jesus Christ was a great spiritual leader, who gained followers throughout his life by preaching the teachings of God. When He and His disciples arrived in Jerusalem, during the Jewish Passover season, He washed the feet of beggars, as a sign of humility and benevolence. He had the Last Supper, traditional Seter, in which he drank wine and ate bread, both unfermented. During this event, He informed the apostles of his fate. It was a Thursday. Jesus Christ came to Earth with a purpose and voluntarily fulfilled it for the benefit of humanity, who won a new opportunity to redeem, change and be reborn.
On the Friday that followed, He was tried and unjustly sentenced to death by crucifixion (one of the most humiliating and painful on record). Tortured and humiliated, Jesus Christ was crucified and, unlike having his body left on the cross after death, he was buried. After having descended into the realm of the dead, He rose again on the third day (Easter Sunday) and announced his condition for the next 40 days. Afterwards, he ascended to heaven and there he remains alive, in spirit.
Based on this, the real importance of Easter is transformation, rebirth for a new opportunity, to have hope and to take care of spirituality, because it is part of life, definitely eternal. It is also a time to give thanks for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and to follow his example of benevolence.
Easter as fertility
Even before the religious meaning of Easter, the date was known and celebrated with importance to fertility, love and rebirth, giving basis to Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Germanic mythologies, from which the terms “Easter” (English) and “Easter” come from. Ostern” (German). Thus, ancient peoples, who attributed the abundance of life and the success of the harvest to the goddess Ostera, celebrated the spring equinox and honored her with symbols such as hares and colored eggs.
In this sense, there was a festivity on March 30, which, over time, merged with the customs and traditions of the Catholic Church. And symbols such as the hare and the eggs of birds that were painted and decorated (tradition that remains), turned into Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs, respectively.
By the way, hares or rabbits are quite fertile animals. Assuming the millenary tradition of these peoples, the eggs of birds were compared to the stone sepulcher where the body of Christ was left before the resurrection. Especially among Orthodox Christians, they came to be colored red, remembering the blood shed by Jesus Christ to save humanity.
Thus, the consumption of eggs in Easter celebrations became increasingly frequent, not least because they balanced fasting during Lent (the period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week). Chocolate eggs only appeared between the end of the XNUMXth century and the beginning of the XNUMXth century in France.
Easter as spiritual evolution
Some religions do not recognize the Easter period in their doctrines, as is the case with Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Taoism, among others. However, all of them point to the existence of a superior force that moves humanity or deities that represent the forces present in nature and in life. Spirituality is seen by virtually all religions as a source of individual and human wisdom and evolution.
You might also like:
- Learn the meaning of Easter symbols
- What is rebirth therapy?
- Expand your awareness from reflection to Easter
- Discover the spiritist vision of Easter and its celebration
So, while some celebrate Easter, these people use the moment to reflect on life, the way of relating to themselves and others and to make their own spirituality evolve. They prefer to exercise understanding on how everyone can become better people to live together and make the world a more dignified and benevolent place with all beings that are here.
In conclusion, the real importance of Easter lies in how, according to our beliefs, we understand it. However, regardless of dogmas, the period is always to renew in ourselves our love for our neighbor and our faith. So, savor chocolate eggs, thinking about the fact that they represent the abundance of good feelings, free yourself from old concepts and judgment and be reborn to life from the perspective of understanding that, as human beings, we have the opportunity to evolve and positively influence the world we live in.
