Easter

[Deblyn]

Like most of the current Christian celebrations, Easter can be traced back to a pagan celebration of spring after the long hard winter. The fianl departure of winter has been celebrated at this time of year in many cultures - eg in ancient Rome it was symbolised by the reappearance of the goddesses of increase: Flora, Ceres and Venus, who were hallowed by women dancing in sacred groves of myrtle.

 

Easter Sunday has always been honoured with new clothes, or at least new gloves or a new hat - a particularly frivolous "Easter bonnet" - to celebrate the passing of winter and t attract good luck.

 

at Easter let your clothes be new

Esle for sure you will rue.

 

Old English proverb

 

It was widely thought that those who did not make the effort to wear something new would almost certainly be fouled on by passing crows later in the day.

Most Easter activities involve eggs - archaic representatvies of the universe, and also a symbol of fertility. The hare was a pagan symbol of fertility and spring, thus the two became joined at this time of year, with the christians swapping the hare (an unacceptable pagan symbol) for a rabbit.

Traditional Easter pastimes include egg-rolling races, and egg hunts, dyeing eggs as gifts, and egg trees, decorated with blwon and ecorated eggs.

With the advent of balmier weather, great spring washing sessions were undertaken - spring cleaning. it was generally thought it inadvisablke to wash the new clothews of Easter when there was a full moon or the fabric was sure not to last well..

 

April showers make May flowers - old English saying

 

If it rains before seven,

it will be dry before eleven.

 

The cuckoo was thought to be a fairy bird who knew both where treasure was hidden and the identity of one's true love. She was also the symbol of summer, appearing only when the seven-starred constellation of the Pleiades (the doves of Venus) materialised in the sky, and to hear her haunting note was to know that winter was truly over:

 

Summer is icumen in,

Lhude sing cuccu!

 

English 13thc song, anon.

 

 

All that, and not a bunny-shaped haggis in sight, Deb!

[Guest Guest]

Very interesting, thanks Lowlander. I love historical things!

[Guest Guest]

I've done some study about Paganism, and it really is a lovely, earth based religion. It's interesting that many Christian holiday rituals were heavily borrowed from Paganism.

 

The most common Christian misconception is that Paganism is "devil worship". Not true at all, as there is no "devil" in Paganism...that is a Christian concept. Pagan behaviour is kind and gentle, and there is only one rule, and that is "if it hurts no one, do as ye may."

 

 

[Deblyn]

You're right about the devil worshipping Mare. The devil is something believed in the Christian church, along with hell; if you are not Christian, then you do not believe in their God, therefore cannot believe in the devil, ergo you cannot worship him.

Paganism is extremely closely linked to the natural world, the planet, the moon and stars and the seasons of the year, hence the expression the Wheel of the Year, constantly turning. I am pagan myself, and have several pagan friends; it can be a very private religion, which suits a lot of us, and you can practice in whichever ways you choose. I feel it is especially apt for women who often (but not always) seem to be more in tune with the earth, the moon and cyclical patterns. It is a very natural religion and one that sits easily with the way I lead and try to lead my life.

[Dee]

I think Christians have a misconception of Paganism. This old religion and the name describes the pre-Christian religion of much of western and northern Europe, which was based on the agricultural cycles and other natural rhythms of the Earth. It coexisted with Christianity for centuries, from the so-called "Dark Ages" up until the Inquisition and the "Burning Times" (witch hunts) of the late Middle Ages. It is also referred more generally to other native and tribal religions of the world. Just look at the followers of Allah or the followers of Buddah or Hinduism.

Through out history many worship traditions have been kept by the more modern churches in this day and age. The Pentacostals incorporate these practices into their services as well as other religions.

Any religion offers some kind of sacrifice in their service or outside the service. Ex: Communion services are symbolic of Christs Death and Resurrection.

What is apparently clear, is that when the founders of the Christian faith set out to document the life and message of their founder, Jesus, they drew from the best sources of religious doctrine available. Just as any other writer, the writers of the Bible were influenced by their own cultural biases and view points as well as by the religious figures they met. And as time went on and Christianity was adopted and spread throughout the Roman Empire and the rest of the world, it is not surprising that it was infused with the religious doctrine, symbolism, and mysticism of the cultures it encountered. To show that these were not just isolated examples from one religion, here is a list of over thirty saviors who were said to have descended from heaven, taken the form of men, and furnished evidence of their divine origin by various miracles and marvelous works. Each laid the foundation for salvation, all were worshipped as Gods or sons of Gods, many were said to have been born to virgins, and many were also said to have been crucified. The list includes such figures as Chrishna of Hindostan, Budha Sakia of India, Salivahana of Bermuda, Zulis and Orus of Egypt, Odin of the Scandinavians, Crite of Chaldea, Baal and Taut of Phoenecia, Indra of Tibet, Bali of Afganistan, Jao of Nepal, Wittoba of the Bilingonese, Thammuz of Syria, Atys of Phrygia, Xamolxis of Thrace, Adad of Assyria, Deva Tat and Sammonocadam of Siam, Alcides of Thebes, Mikado of the Sintoos, Beddru of Japan, Hesus or Eros and Bremrillah of the Druids, Thor of the Gauls, Cadmus and Adonis of Greece, Hil and Feta of the Mandaites, Gentaut and Quexalcote of Mexico, Universal Monarch of the Sibyls, Ischy of the island of Formosa, Divine teacher of Plato, the Holy One of Xaca, Fohi and Tien of China, Ixion and Quirinus of Rome, Prometheus of Caucasus, Mohamud or Mahomet of Arabia. So, truly, the study of the Christian faith must be a study of world faiths. I believe If we ignore or dismiss the beliefs of others, even those of ancient civilizations, then we are missing an essential part of our own faith.

Even Christ's parables give examples of how he viewed himself as a vine and we his branches. If you think about it Christians Worship Christ and Pagans worship gods of the earth and nature so those Pagan Gods are the vines for those who worship the earth. Even Christians believe God gave us this Heaven and Earth and when we pray we thank him for a beautiful day or the rain or good health plus a number of things that relate back to the earth.

 

 

[Linda]

Well I live and learn!!!

 

I enjoy reading the stories of each holiday.

 

what happen to April fools day?

[Deblyn]

According to some sources the name April comes from the Greek word Aphrilis, or "of Aphrodite". Throughout most of Europe, april has always been a particularly festive month, for April Fool's Day on the first is descended from Hilaria, the joyous Roman festival of the Vernal equinox where people were given licence to behave how they chose.

 

I have an axcellent book called "Heaven and Heart" by Beverly Pagram, which is a seasonal compendium of women's spiritual and domestic lore. Published by the Women's Press in the UK, it is a brilliant source of information on all relateed subjects and how customs came into being and their continued usage in this country. Worth a look if you can get hold of it, but it may be out of print now, I'm not sure.

[Linda]

sounds like a book i like to have. would you happen to have the ISBN # and thank you

[Deblyn]

ISBN is 0-70430-4540-4

 

I t might be worth trying Amazon; hope you can find it.