Nowadays, the traditional family activities vary by region. Children often hunt for Easter eggs, which are brightly-dyed hard boiled eggs, though they are more commonly seen of plastic filled with candy or small denominations of money. Candy became a traditional gift for Easter as children often break their Lenten fasts with sweets. The adults tend to share bouquets of flowers, baskets, greeting cards, and may gather at the table for a feast, but such celebrations are often secularized and focused on children rather than the religious aspect of the holyday.
Canada has no official religion, the support for religious pluralism and freedom of religion being an important part of its political culture. However, Christianity is the largest religion in Canada, with Roman Catholics having the most adherents.
Easter, Pascha or Resurrection Sunday
Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as on the third day after his burial, following his crucifixion by the Romans on Golgotha hill, outside Jerusalem’s walls, around year 33 AD.
The meaning of this important Christian celebration is Jesus Christ's victory over death, as His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in God.
Together with the holidays related to it, they are moveable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars, which follow only the cycle of the Sun. Rather, Easter’s date is offset from the date of Passover and is therefore calculated based on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar.
This year, the Catholics celebrated Easter on the 12th of April, while the Christians Orthodox one week later, on the 19th.
Palm Sunday
The “Holy Week” starts with Palm Sunday, or the "Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem" when it is said that Jesus was greeted by people with palm leaves and flowers, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness and victory; they were often depicted on coins and important buildings.
In the Christian Orthodox countries, it is common that the middle names of people are given after Saints (such as Peter/ Petru or Andrew/ Andrei), or flowers and trees. Names such as Violet, Olivia or Florentina are celebrated for Palm’s Sunday, becoming their name’s day too.
Willow Braches
According to the tradition, young women go to the church and bring home a willow branch, which is kept until next Palm Sunday, as a symbol of fertility and life. In the Bible, the willow is always associated with a brook or river, that is, with a perpetual source of nourishment and supply.
Passover or Pesach is a major Jewish holiday and one of the most widely celebrated.
Initially, during the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, Passover was a spring festival that was connected to the offering of the "first-fruits of the barley", as barley was the first grain to ripen and to be harvested. However, the verb pasàch is first mentioned in the Torah's account of the Exodus from Egypt, and the commonly held assumption is of the meaning "He passed over", in reference to God "passing over" or "skipping" the houses of the Hebrews during the final of the Ten Plagues of Egypt.
Easter Eggs
The Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include The Holy Light, sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, cooking lamb dishes and decorating Easter eggs.
The Holy Fire or "Holy Light" is described by Orthodox Christians as a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Great Saturday, the day preceding Easter. A blue light is said to emit within Jesus Christ's tomb, rising from the stone bed believed to be that upon which Jesus' body has been placed for burial. This fire is then used to light the candles of the clergy and pilgrims in attendance.
Although eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth, in Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, from which Jesus resurrected.
In addition, the legend says that Virgin Mary offered a basket of eggs to her son’s guards so they could treat him better during his martyrdom on the cross, but they soon turned red from Jesus’ blood. The Easter eggs are now being stained with the colour red in the memory of the blood of Christ, shed at the time of his crucifixion.
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A lot of cute bunnies on television these days. They make you smile while invite you to shop and bring chocolate eggs, or more recently even squirrels!, to your beloved children, with the occasion of Easter, which sadly, becomes a consumerism holiday.
The joy of children’s surprise is wonderful, and I believe in happy homes filled with laughter and chocolate, but I also believe that education shouldn't be disregarded.
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