Bright Resurrection of Christ: what do the cake, eggs and Easter symbolize? The main symbols and traditions of Orthodox Easter
The word "Easter" in the understanding of Christians is a transition from the earthly to the eternal, heavenly, from death to life. Housewives bake Easter cakes, paint eggs, make cottage cheese Easter. It will be necessary to consecrate these indispensable food for the Easter table on Holy Saturday, which this year fell on the Annunciation. In the Orthodox Church there is even a prayer "in the hedgehog to bless the cheese and eggs" (for the consecration of cheese and eggs). But why exactly do these treats end up on the table?
There are several versions of why eggs are painted on Easter.
The question of why eggs are painted on Easter does not have an unambiguous answer, but it has several options for interpreting this custom. According to the first, the disciple of Christ, Mary Magdalene, the first to see Christ after the Resurrection, decided to communicate this news to Emperor Tiberius. However, she could not come to the emperor empty-handed. Taking with her a symbolic gift - a chicken egg - Maria went to the courtyard. Tiberius listened to her, but did not believe the news, saying that resurrection is as impossible as turning a white egg into red. In response, the egg instantly turned red.
According to the second version, everything is even more symbolic: the egg - that the Holy Sepulcher, looks dead from the outside, but keeps life inside. Red is the color of the blood shed on the Cross; and the vestments of priests in the service can also be red.
According to the third version, this custom was associated with a purely everyday history: during the fast, people did not eat light food, but the chickens continued to lay eggs. By staining the eggs, the hosts separated the less fresh eggs from the fresher ones. But on the whole, the symbol of the painted egg is single and unambiguous: just as a new life arises from an egg, so Christ was reborn for a new life after suffering and crucifixion.
Easter cakes - a symbol of the body of Christ - had a round shape, like a shroud; Christ himself called bread his body. Easter, the shape of which was given by a special beekeeper - the shape of a pyramid with a cut off top - was associated with Golgotha, to which Christ ascended along with the Cross, where he was crucified.
The word "Easter" in the understanding of Christians is a transition from the earthly to the eternal, heavenly, from death to life. "Passover", or "Passover" - as the Jews pronounce this word - translates as "passed, passed". In addition to this meaning, Passover for the Jews was a symbol of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. So this holiday, symbolizing hope for the best and faith in the bright, was celebrated in pre-Christ times. Prophet Moses and his brother tried to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, to give them freedom. But the Egyptians worshiped their deities. Then, to prove the power of God and his very existence, nine executions fell on Egypt - terrible ... On the night of the last execution, all the first-born males among animals and people were to die. To prevent this punishment from affecting the Jews, they had to stab a lamb with its blood, draw a mark on the door with its blood, and eat the baked meat with the family. Hence the interpretation - "past misfortune".
Pharaoh, frightened by the events, dismissed the Jews. They began to call the holiday of liberation Easter.
The New Testament Passover was established by the apostles - this happened soon after Jesus was resurrected.
The holiday received a new inner meaning - it began to signify the victory of life over death. True, at first Easter was associated with the memory of the death of Jesus, but in the 5th century the rules of the celebration were revised, and since then it has been celebrated as the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ.
What are the basic "Easter" terms you need to know? We offer a small selection of Easter terms.
Kulich- festive Easter bread, often with raisins, sometimes nuts and candied fruits. It is the main symbol of Easter. The cake is usually decorated with chocolate icing and various sprinkles on top.
Easter - a sweet dish of cottage cheese in the shape of a four-sided pyramid, representing Calvary. Traditionally prepared for Easter. On one of the faces of the pyramid, the letters "ХВ" are necessarily laid out, which means Christ is Risen.
Easter egg symbolizes the tomb and the resurrection of the Lord. And the red color, in which it is customary to paint eggs, symbolizes the crucified Christ. Giving dyed eggs for Easter is an ancient tradition.
Maundy Thursday. on Maundy Thursday, believers go to church services in the morning and receive communion. On this day, it is customary to wash, bathe children, put on clean clothes. This is the main day when all preparations for the holiday are in progress. Easter cakes are baked, eggs are painted.
Good Friday. On this day, you cannot do housework, for example, cook, sew, clean. Believers devote Good Friday to spiritual affairs, spend in prayer. On Good Friday, the Shroud is taken out of the altar at about three o'clock in the afternoon - at the hour of the death of Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross. She is transferred to a table prepared in advance - a "tomb". Then all those present in the temple can worship the deceased Christ.
Shroud - this is the shroud in which Jesus Christ was wrapped after he was taken down from the cross. Currently, the Shroud is called the image on the fabric of the image of Christ lying in the tomb. Usually the Shroud is made of velvet.
Great Saturday- the day before the celebration of Easter. During the day, near churches and temples, Easter, Easter cakes, eggs, and other festive food are illuminated - the priest sprinkles them with holy water.
Lamps lit from the Holy Fire are delivered by special flights to churches in Russia and other countries of the world Anna Ivantsova, "Evening Moscow"
Lamps lit from the Holy Fire are delivered by special flights to churches in Russia and other countries of the world
Blessed fire descends in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on the day of Great Saturday on the eve of Easter. The lamps lit from the Holy Fire are delivered by special flights to churches in Russia and other countries of the world. Orthodox Christians try to bring a burning lamp, a candle to the house - they put it near the icons.
Procession- this is a solemn procession of priests and parishioners, is part of the festive service. It starts on Saturday evening and continues until midnight. The procession takes place several times a year, including on Easter. This year the Holy Year will take place on April 7th.
Bright Resurrection of Christ- the celebration of Easter among Orthodox Christians. It is the most significant holiday celebrated everywhere. Believers greet each other with the words: "Christ is risen!"
SERMON OF THE METROPOLITAN OF KALUGA AND BOROVSK CLIMENT
Easter is the joy of the Kingdom of God
Christ is Risen! Easter brings to the whole world the joy of the Kingdom of God, the joy of its accessibility for every person, the joy of calling our human nature to eternal unity with its Creator.
The angelic world incessantly rejoices over the Resurrection of the Savior. And we humans strive to glorify the Risen Christ in the purity of our hearts. Like the myrrh-bearing women, in the darkness of the night we go to God's temple. But if they, having come to the Sepulcher, saw that it was empty, and fear seized them, then our churches shine with the light of the saving Resurrection of Christ, filling the heart of every person with joy. And how relevant these days are the words of Christ: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness!" (Matthew 6, 33)!
His Kingdom of Glory is open to all people, without exception. The Resurrection of Christ as a gift from above is the property of all mankind. Eternity is destined for everyone, but it depends on each individually whether he will be able to grasp the outstretched hand of the Son of God, whether he wants to escape from the shadow of the mortal of his egoism and acquired passions.
When celebrating the Resurrection of Christ, one should remember at what cost we have gained Easter joy. This remembrance will save our hearts from being burdened by "overeating and drunkenness and everyday worries" (Luke 21, 34), ready to ruin all the virtues acquired by fasting, imperceptibly robbing us of eternal bliss. The joy of the Resurrection was acquired by the complete obedience of the Son of God "even to death" on the Cross (Phil. 2, 8). This underlines the most important aspect of the Day of the Lord: Easter is a holiday of obedience to God. This is the focus and main guideline of the life path of every Christian.
Skilling obedience, we follow Christ, who in the Garden of Gethsemane, until bloody sweat, three times prayed to God the Father to fulfill not what human nature wants, but what is determined by "eternal advice." "Not what I want, but what Thou!" - these words were addressed by Christ to God the Father (Mark 14:36). Then He was surrounded by the apostles, fearful to the point of betrayal and weak in vigil and prayer. Now, in the sacraments of the Church of Christ, all believers are given the great power of Divine grace, which has appeared in the world thanks to the humble shedding of the blood of the God-man for the human race.
Through obedience to the will of God, the Lord begins to act in our lives. Pointing to the beauty of nature, the Monk Nektarios of Optina emphasized that the Lord created all this out of nothing, so God begins to create great things out of man only when he "sincerely regains the consciousness that he is nothing." From the instructions of Elder Nektarios, Metropolitan Benjamin (Fedchenkov) derived the rule of his entire life: to carry out any order of the superiors, even difficult to fulfill, remembering that "God will help for obedience."
This was the general teaching of the Optina elders. In one of the Easter greetings of the Monk Ambrose it is said that "every position entrusted to him is nothing but obedience to God."
Let us try to preserve and cultivate this virtue in our families. Even parental authority is obedience to God in raising children. The main thing is to instill in the younger generation a love for Christ and the skill of prayer. Common prayer should become part of the practice of every Orthodox family. The whole family should hopefully ask God for eternal life, because, as St. Gregory Palamas wrote, "it is bestowed upon those who pray for it with all their soul and with all their thoughts."
Showing obedience to the Mother Church, we went through the Great Lent, trying to cleanse our hearts of passions to meet the Risen Lord. As we stand before His light-bearing Sepulcher, let us remember that, approaching the Holy Mysteries, we died to sin and were resurrected together with Christ into a new, holy life.
Let not our carelessness for salvation take away our Easter joy! May the joy of the Lord's Passover, the visible anticipation of the Kingdom of God and the eating of the fruits of obedience to His Holy Will, continue to grow in our lives, in our families, in our attitude towards all people without exception. Have joy in the Lord and share it with everyone - the Easter of the Lord is coming, the Risen God has prepared inexpressible blessings for all who love Him!
There are many Easter traditions in the world. We will tell you about some of them.
In the morning, after the service, it is customary to christen. According to the Orthodox tradition, they have always tried to make the Easter table especially elegant and solemn. On this holiday, it is customary to give gifts to each other. There is a long tradition, when the bells are ringing, one should wash from the source to gain health.
Also, in order to have good luck all year round, you need to meet the Sunday dawn on the street. To calm the souls of the dead, before you sit down at the festive table, you must put a pot of honey in front of the icon.
The first Sunday after Easter and the week following it was the time of weddings, since on this Sunday, the first day after Lent, it is allowed to perform the wedding ceremony.
In some countries, there is a tradition of playing football at Easter, where a small wooden barrel is used instead of a ball. Even on Easter, you can swing on the swing, since it is believed that with each rise during skiing, your well-being rises.
The Easter fire is very important. You need to light a candle in the church and bring it into the house, hide the stub under the roof and keep it all year round. After that, the house will be bypassed by all thunderstorms.
On Easter night it is considered a good omen to swim in the spring, collect water and bring it into the house. All this must be done without saying a word, for happiness and well-being. On Easter day, it is customary to wear new clothes, which symbolizes the end of bad weather and the onset of spring.
Easter symbols
The most common and integral symbols of Easter, of course, are colored eggs, Easter and Easter cake, they always occupy the most honorable place on the Easter table.
It has long been accepted that the first meal after a forty-day fast should be a painted egg consecrated in a church.The tradition of painting eggs appeared a long time ago: boiled eggs are painted in a wide variety of colors and their combinations, some masters paint them by hand, depicting the faces of saints, churches and others attributes of this wonderful holiday. Hence the name "krashenka" or "pysanka" appeared. It is customary to exchange them when meeting with all acquaintances.
Sweet curd Easter is always baked on Easter; it is also customary to light it in the church. Easter is baked on the Thursday before the holiday, and on the night from Saturday to Sunday it is illuminated.
The Easter cake symbolizes how Christ ate bread with his disciples so that they would believe in his resurrection. Easter cake is baked from yeast dough in large cylindrical forms. Easter cake can be stored for up to 40 days. In our time, this custom has mainly been preserved by our grandmothers. In ancient times, a piece from a consecrated cake was considered healing, but now many do not know about this dezhe.
All Orthodox people sincerely believe in the very special properties of these Easter symbols and, year after year, adhering to the traditions of their ancestors, they decorate the festive table with these dishes.
Easter paraphernalia
The most important attribute of Easter is, of course, the icon depicting the face of Jesus Christ. After all, it is his resurrection that is celebrated on this wonderful holiday. The icon symbolizes eternal life.
The Easter bunny has become an integral part of the Easter holiday. It symbolizes fertility and prosperity. In many Christian countries, the rabbit can be found almost everywhere on this day. People dressed in bunny costumes, the image of a bunny on a festive tablecloth, curtains or even plates, and a huge variety of pastries in the form of an Easter bunny are having fun on the streets of the city.
An equally rare attribute of Passover is the lamb, which symbolizes the Lamb of God, that is, Christ. It is customary to decorate the festive table with figurines depicting a lamb, and in some countries lamb is the main festive dish.
The Easter candle is also an important attribute of the holiday. Defending service in the church, it is customary to hold a lighted candle in your hands. Burning, you need to bring it home and light the hearth with this fire, so that everything in your house would be safe. Thus, as it were, the procedure for the consecration of the house takes place.
Another popular Easter attribute is the Easter wreath or bouquet. The Easter wreath is a symbol of eternal life. It can be a wonderful holiday gift for your loved ones. There are many options for Easter bouquets and wreaths: hanging, tabletop, wall hanging. Since Easter, among other things, is also a holiday of spring, any bouquet of fresh flowers can be considered an Easter bouquet.
12.04.2015What do we remember first of all when we say "Easter"? Easter cakes, painted eggs, red vestments of priests ... And what other symbols are there associated with the celebration of the Bright Resurrection of Christ?
One warm spring morning in a small provincial town, a little girl was sitting on a bench near the house and happily eating a piece of sweet Easter cake covered with glaze and raisins. This happened in the mid-60s, and a passing teacher began to shame the child: “Aren't you ashamed ?! How can you, a Soviet person, granddaughter of October, eat Easter cake? After all, Easter is not ours, it is a church holiday! " “No,” the girl answered, “Easter is ours, very good, bright and ... (the girl was looking for a word for a long time) a delicious holiday” ¹.
A child's heart, not familiar with the peculiarities of the political system, felt the light and spiritual joy of the Resurrection of Christ. Since ancient times, all Orthodox people knew the heartfelt words of John Chrysostom, uttered on the holiday of Easter: “Who is pious and God-loving - enjoy now this wonderful and joyful celebration! .. All enter into the joy of their Lord! .. Rich and poor, with each other rejoice; you who have fasted and have not fasted, rejoice now! .. Everyone enjoy the feast of faith, everyone accept the riches of goodness! .. Christ is risen, and life triumphs! ”²
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian doctrine. According to the words of the Apostle Paul: “If Christ has not been resurrected, then our preaching is in vain, and our faith is also in vain” ³. Easter is the oldest Christian holiday, it has many traditions and symbols. Liturgy is the center of church life, and therefore the holiday begins with a solemn night worship. Worship is a joyous "feast of faith", when the soul of every Christian rejoices incomparably with any earthly feast. It has already become a tradition in Russia to bring the blessed fire from Jerusalem. The priests solemnly carry it to the temples of the city and light candles and lamps from it. By this miracle that takes place every year on the Holy Sepulcher, people are assured that Christ is the True Life. The fire symbolizes the Light of God, which enlightens all nations after Christ's Resurrection.
Red is also symbolic, which is abundant in the temple: red vestments of priests, red candles, red flowers, red ribbons, red headscarves on women’s heads. Easter is red because red is the color of resurrection, the color of life and victory. Red means that the world was saved at the cost of the blood of Christ.
The royal doors and the deacons' doors of the holy altar are not closed throughout the entire Bright Week, as a sign that the Lord, by His Resurrection, has opened for everyone the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven. A lectern with artos is placed near the Royal Doors. Artos is a tall bread, which depicts a cross with a crown of thorns, but without a Savior. This symbolizes the victory of Christ over death, His resurrection. Artos depicts the bread that the Savior ate in front of the disciples as evidence of His Resurrection. Tradition also tells us that after the Ascension of Christ, the apostles left a portion of the bread at the meal, symbolically depicting His presence at the meal. During the procession, which takes place every day of this week, the artos is carried around the temple. On Bright Saturday, after the Liturgy, it is fragmented and distributed to the faithful.
On Easter, the Easter bell sounds especially solemnly - the evangelism. Throughout Bright Week, anyone can climb the bell tower and ring in honor of Christ's Resurrection. The ringing marks the triumph of the Church, glorifying the Conqueror of hell and death.
The celebration after the service continues with a festive meal. In the church tradition, a rich Easter table is a symbol of joy. It is no coincidence that the Lord himself compared the Kingdom of God with a feast. A snow-white tablecloth is spread on the festive table, beautiful dishes are placed. Fresh flowers, lighted candles, Easter compositions are used as decoration. Each hostess strives to make her table unique.
To further emphasize the symbolic meaning of the Passover meal, Christians traditionally prepare special foods. The most ancient of them is Easter cake. It is prepared in every family, in form and meaning it is related to artos. Kulich is a rich, tall, round bread with raisins and candied fruits, topped with powdered sugar or icing. The significance of the cake, which is always made from yeast dough, also lies in the fact that for Christians it replaces the Old Testament, unleavened bread. Symbolically, this means the transition from the Old Testament to the New, especially since Christ Himself in one of the parables compared the Kingdom of God with leaven.
Another Christian Easter dish is Easter, a sweet curd dish filled with sour cream, butter, vanilla and raisins. For its preparation, a pasochna is used, which is usually made of wood by master carvers. It consists of four parts and, when assembled, is a truncated pyramid. Most often, an Orthodox cross was carved on the pasochnits, the letters "ХВ" - "Christ is Risen", a dove as an image of the Holy Spirit, floral ornaments, grapes. These patterns stood out clearly at Easter when it was taken out of the mold and placed on a platter. Easter cottage cheese is a symbol of the Holy Sepulcher. Easter is also considered a symbol of Easter fun and the sweetness of heavenly life, a prototype of the Kingdom of Heaven and those very milk rivers in the jelly banks, which have always been the dream of the Russian peasant.
The third attribute of the Easter table is colored eggs. Church tradition tells that after the resurrection of Christ, His disciples spread the message everywhere that Christ had conquered death. Mary Magdalene came with this message to the Roman emperor Tiberius himself and presented him with a chicken egg as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. It was impossible to come to the court of the emperor without gifts. Rich people usually brought precious things, but Mary had nothing, so she took a chicken egg with her as a gift. The emperor said that just as an egg does not turn from white to red, so the dead do not rise. But after these words, the chicken egg that he was holding turned red. The egg symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ, life and the general resurrection of the dead. As a chick is born from an egg and begins to live a full life after being freed from the shell, so people, by the power of Christ's Resurrection, will be resurrected for a higher, immortal life. When we pick up the red egg, we proclaim our salvation.
For Easter, Christians paint eggs in different colors, although red is considered the traditional color. Various natural dyes are used to color eggs: turmeric for yellow, beets for pink, nettle leaves for green, onion skins for light brown. There is a tradition of christening Easter eggs, breaking their different ends in turn.
Easter eggs also had "practical" uses - they were rolled on the ground so that it was fertile, the egg was placed in the right hand of someone who died on Easter. There is a tradition to store several Easter eggs throughout the year.
Easter cake, cottage cheese Easter and colored eggs are placed at the head of the table. Often they are placed on dishes with high stand legs so that they rise above all other treats. At the meal, they mainly serve meat snacks, hot meat and poultry dishes, and a variety of pastries.
It is customary to celebrate the first day with your family. The feast begins with the use of dishes consecrated in the church. Since ancient times, it was believed that it was the blessed Easter egg that should be the first meal after 40 days of fasting. Then they eat a piece of Easter cake and a spoonful of Easter cottage cheese. On a real Easter table, there must be a lamb made of butter dough, which symbolizes the Lamb of God, who was slain for the sins of people, that is, Christ. In Old Testament times, according to Jewish custom, a lamb was slaughtered at Easter, but Christ Himself sacrificed Himself, so the need for bloody sacrifices disappeared.
They try to finish the preparation of Easter dishes on Maundy Thursday, so that nothing distracts from the services of Good Friday, the day when the Holy Shroud was taken out. For the biggest holiday of the year, of course, the house should be cleaned. Rather, not just for Easter, but for Maundy Thursday, it's not for nothing that people call it Maundy Thursday. In the old days, for this day, they collected juniper branches and burned them, and they fumigated all the rooms with smoke, including the barn and the barn. The healing juniper smoke was believed to protect humans and livestock from disease. It is on this day that it is also supposed to paint eggs, make cottage cheese Easter, knead dough for cakes. Maundy Thursday for housewives is one of the most troublesome days of the year.
On Holy Saturday, everyone goes to church to consecrate Easter cakes, Easter eggs and eggs. To do this, they usually put all the food in a basket decorated with flowers. This day is already filled with a pre-holiday mood, churches are gradually beginning to transform for the holiday. A little more - and the Easter Matins will begin.
On Easter, Orthodox people visit and give each other small gifts. Usually this is some kind of treat: a small cake, an egg or sweets. Thus, believers share a piece of their joy, in the exchange of treats they symbolically unite in a large invisible meal. It is a good tradition to give an Easter egg when exchanging Easter greetings. It can be a dyed boiled egg, or it can be artificial - made of wood, porcelain, papier-mâché or foam. They are embroidered with beads, decorated with drawings, fabric, embroidery. Such an egg is the most common gift. Some of them resemble works of art - they are adorned with precious stones, gold and silver. Particularly beautiful - real precious masterpieces - are kept in various museums.
Easter bouquets play an important role. These are bouquets for a gift and bouquets for decorating Easter cake. They are made up of flowers, feathers, ribbons, shells, pussy willow, figurines of lambs, images of various birds and butterflies. In recent years, nest bouquets have become very popular. They gather on a frame made of branches that resembles a bird's nest. A bouquet for Easter cake is usually small in size, it is collected on a wooden hairpin, with which it is then attached to the kulich. You can also make an Easter wreath - tabletop, wall hanging or hanging. It can be put around the Easter cake on the festive table or made as an interior decoration, and, if desired, can be used as an Easter gift. Wreaths are composed of the same elements as bouquets. They symbolize infinity and eternal life, given by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Since the last third of the 19th century, it has become a tradition in Russia to send open letters with colorful drawings on Easter to those relatives and friends with whom you cannot pray Christ, the main themes of which are Easter eggs, Easter cakes, Orthodox churches, people christening, Russian spring landscapes, flowers. You can also make Easter cards yourself, fortunately, there are many opportunities for this now. This option will always be more pleasant and warmer for the recipient.
On Easter, mass festivities with singing, round dances, fairs, games and other entertainments are organized almost everywhere. Previously, Easter festivities lasted up to two weeks and were called Krasnaya Gorka. A favorite Easter pastime was rolling Easter eggs. They simply rolled eggs from some bump or made special trays for this. When a rolling egg hits an egg lying on the ground, the player takes this egg for himself. These fun sometimes turned into real competition.
Easter in Russia, as in other countries, is a holiday of holidays, a celebration of celebrations. But today the world is changing rapidly, and most importantly, what remains unchanged fades into the background. Rarely today, young people, especially in megacities, understand the significance of Easter, go to confession and sincerely support age-old traditions. But Easter is the main Orthodox holiday that brings light and joy to entire nations, to the families and souls of every believer.
What is Easter?
Christians understand by the word "Easter" "the passage from death to life, from earth to heaven." For forty days, believers observe the strictest fast and celebrate Easter in honor of Jesus' victory over death.
Pronounced as "Passover" (Hebrew word) and means "passed by, passed." The roots of this word go back to the history of the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.
The New Testament says that the destroyer will pass away from those who receive Jesus.
In some languages, the word is pronounced like this - "Piskha". This is an Aramaic name that spread in some languages of Europe and has survived to this day.
No matter how you pronounce the word, the essence of Easter does not change, for all believers this is the most important celebration. A bright holiday that brings joy and hope to the hearts of believers all over the Earth.
The history of the holiday before the birth of Christ, or Old Testament Easter
The holiday originated long before the birth of Christ, but the significance of the Passover holiday in those days was very great for the Jewish people.
The story goes that the Jews were once held captive by the Egyptians. The slaves suffered a lot of bullying, troubles and oppression from their masters. But faith in God, hope for salvation and God's mercy always lived in their hearts.
One day a man named Moses came to them, who with his brother had been sent by him for salvation. The Lord chose Moses to enlighten the Egyptian Pharaoh and deliver the Jewish people from slavery.
But no matter how hard Moses tried to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, freedom was not granted to them. The Egyptian Pharaoh and his people did not believe in God, worshiping only their deities and relying on the help of sorcerers. To prove the existence and power of the Lord, nine terrible executions were unleashed on the Egyptian people. No bloody rivers, no toads, no midges, no flies, no darkness, no thunder - none of this could have happened if the ruler had let the people and their cattle go.
The last, tenth execution, like the previous ones, punished the Pharaoh and his people, but did not affect the Jews. Moses warned that each family must slaughter a one year old male virgin lamb. Anoint the doors of their houses with the blood of an animal, bake a lamb and eat it with the whole family.
At night, all the first-born males were killed in houses among people and animals. Only the houses of the Jews, where there was a bloody mark, were not affected by the trouble. Since then, "Easter" means - passed by, passed.
This execution greatly frightened Pharaoh, and he released the slaves with all their flocks. The Jews went to the sea, where the water opened up, and they calmly set off along the bottom of it. Pharaoh wanted to break his promise again and rushed after them, but the water swallowed him.
Jews began to celebrate the liberation from slavery and their families' passing of executions, calling the holiday Easter. The history and significance of the Easter holiday is recorded in the Bible in the book "Exodus".
Easter New Testament
On the land of Israel, Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary, who was destined to save human souls from the slavery of hell. At thirty, Jesus began to preach, teaching people about the laws of God. But three years later, he was crucified along with other objectionable authorities on the cross, which was installed on Mount Calvary. It happened after the Jewish Passover, on Friday, which was later christened Passionate. This event adds new meaning, traditions and attributes to the meaning of the Easter holiday.
Christ, like a lamb, was slain, but his bones remained intact, and this became His sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
A little more history
On the eve of the crucifixion, on Thursday, took place where Jesus presented bread as his body and wine as blood. Since then, the meaning of the Easter holiday has not changed, but the Eucharist became the new Easter meal.
At first, the holiday was weekly. Friday was a day of sorrow and Sunday was a day of joy.
In 325, at the First Ecumenical Council, the date for the celebration of Easter was determined - on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. The Russian Orthodox Church uses To calculate on what day Easter falls in a certain year, you need to make a rather complicated calculation. But for ordinary laity, a calendar of holiday dates has been drawn up for decades in advance.
Over the long history of the holiday, it has acquired traditions, which to this day are adhered to in families, and signs.
Great post
Easter in Russia is one of the main holidays even for those people who are very rare in church. Today, in the era of high technologies and urbanization, among generations who prefer a computer to live communication, the church is slowly losing its power over the hearts and souls of people. But almost everyone, regardless of age and strength of faith, knows what Great Lent is.
Traditions are passed on in families by older generations. It is seldom that anyone decides to adhere to the entire fast, most often only in the last week people somehow observe the rules.
For 40 days, believers must eat without eating animal products (and on some days the fast is more strict), do not drink alcohol, pray, confess, receive communion, do good, and do not speak evil.
The Great Lent ends. The service on Easter has a special meaning and scope. In modern Russia, services are broadcast live on central channels. In every church, even the smallest village, candles are lit all night and chants are sung. Millions of parishioners all over the country do not sleep all night, pray, attend services, light candles, holy food and water. And fasting ends on Sunday, after all church rites have been completed. Those who fast sit at the table and celebrate Easter.
Easter greeting
From the very childhood we teach children that, when greeting a person on this holiday, they need to say: "Christ is Risen!" And to answer such words: "Truly He is Risen!" To learn more about what this is connected with, you need to refer to the Bible.
The essence of Easter is the passing of Jesus to his Father. The story goes that Jesus was crucified into a body taken down from the cross and buried. The coffin is a cave carved into the rock, covered with a huge stone. The bodies of the dead (there were still victims) were wrapped in fabrics and rubbed in incense. But they did not have time to perform the ceremony with the body of Jesus, since according to Jewish laws, it is strictly forbidden to work on Saturday.
Women - followers of Christ - on Sunday morning went to his tomb to perform the ceremony themselves. An angel came down to them and informed them that Christ had risen. From now on Easter will be the third day - the day of the resurrection of Christ.
Entering the tomb, the women were convinced of the angel's words and brought this message to the apostles. And they communicated this good news to everyone. All believers and unbelievers should have known that the impossible happened, what Jesus said happened - Christ was resurrected.
Easter: traditions of different countries
In many countries around the world, believers paint eggs and bake cakes. There are a lot of recipes for Easter cakes, and in different countries they also differ in shape. Of course, this is not the essence of Easter, but these are traditions that have accompanied the holiday for many centuries.
In Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine, they are "beating" with colored eggs.
In Greece, on the Friday preceding Easter, it is considered a great sin to work with hammer and nails. At midnight from Saturday to Sunday, after the solemn service, when the priest proclaims "Christ is Risen!", A grandiose fireworks illuminate the night sky.
In the Czech Republic, on the Monday following Easter Sunday, girls are whipped as a compliment. And they can pour water over a young man.
Australians make chocolate Easter eggs and animal figurines.
Ukrainian Easter eggs are called "Easter eggs". Children are presented with clean white eggs as a symbol of their long and bright life. And for the elderly - dark eggs with a complex pattern, as a sign that there were many difficulties in their lives.
Easter in Russia brings light and miracles to the homes of believers. Consecrated Easter eggs are often credited with miraculous powers. On Sunday morning, when washing, the consecrated egg is placed in a bowl of water, and each family member should wash with it, rubbing his cheeks and forehead.
The red Easter egg has special symbolism. In Greece, red is the color of sorrow. The red eggs symbolize the tomb of Jesus, and the broken ones represent the open tombs and the Resurrection.
Signs for Easter
Each nation has its own unique signs associated with this day. does not always believe in them, but it is interesting to know about it.
For some peoples, it is considered a good omen to swim in a spring on Easter night and bring this water into the house.
On the eve of Easter, houses are cleaned up, cooked, baked, but in many countries it is considered a sin to work on Saturday. In Poland, signs on Easter prohibit housewives from working on Friday, otherwise the whole village will be left without a harvest.
less than a week left! This exciting celebration for us requires special preparation: it is important to calm the soul, put things in order in thoughts and at home in order to create a holiday atmosphere around us.Knowledge of all Easter symbols, which play an important role in preparation and have a deep meaning, will help us in this.
In Russia, Easter has always been widely and solemnly celebrated. It is known, for example, that during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, up to 37,000 eggs were prepared for distribution at Easter. How do we prepare today?
Today we propose to figure out what story is hidden behind each of the symbols and what meaning they have for us now.
1. Cross
The cross is not only the most recognizable Easter, but also the main Christian symbol. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, who was resurrected on the third day after death. That is why every year we celebrate the holiday of Easter, or the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Christianity gave the cross a completely new meaning: from a symbol of death, it turned into a symbol of the promise of eternal life.
Criminals who committed especially grave crimes were sentenced to crucifixion. The official accusation of Jesus Christ was "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (this is how the Latin abbreviation "INRI" stands for, which can be seen on crucifixes). This is what was written on the tablet, which Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of the blood of Jesus, ordered to be nailed to His cross.
The death of Jesus is the sacrifice that He made to redeem people from sin.
This is why the cross and the resurrection are central to biblical history. After all, thanks to this, believers received the opportunity to gain salvation from hell and eternal life.
2. Red color
Why is the shroud, which is carried out during the services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, dark red? Why is it customary to paint Easter eggs in the same color?
The color red in the Christian tradition symbolizes two things:
1. The blood of Christ, which He shed on the cross.
2. The royal dignity of Christ, because Christians venerate Him as the King of Heaven.
In various cultures, red is also a symbol of life.
3. Passover lamb
You have heard of the Passover lamb, of course. The tradition of cooking a lamb for Easter appeared in the time of the Old Testament, before the exodus from Egypt, when the Jews received an order from God to anoint the door frames with the blood of a lamb in order to avoid the 10th execution (death of all firstborn). The animal itself had to be roasted and completely eaten that very night in a circle of loved ones, and the remains had to be burned before dawn.
Easter (Passover) was established as an annual holiday in honor of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian captivity. They still cooked the Passover lamb every year. This very holiday was celebrated by Jesus Christ with 12 apostles during the Last Supper, after which he was crucified, and on the third day of Easter he rose again.
The Passover lamb is understood as a type of Jesus Christ on the cross - in the Bible it is called “the Lamb of God” more than once: just as in the times of the Old Testament, the blood of an immaculate sacrifice saved believers from God's wrath. So in Christianity, the holiday of liberation from death and Egyptian captivity has turned into a holiday of liberation from eternal condemnation and the captivity of sinful.
In some countries (for example, in Italy) it is customary to cook sweet "lamb" for the Easter table.
4. Easter egg
The ancient custom of painting eggs for Easter commemorates the miracle of Mary Magdalene. She appeared to the emperor Tiberius and told him that Christ had risen. As a gift, the woman brought an ordinary chicken egg as a symbol of life. Tiberius did not believe it and said: "The egg will sooner turn red than the dead will come to life!"
And right there, before the eyes of the ruler, the egg presented by Maria turned red. Shocked Tiberius exclaimed: "Indeed, Christ is risen!" Since then, believers on Easter greet each other just like this: - "Truly is risen!"
In the old days in Russia, this tradition also had practical significance: during 40 days of Great Lent, believers refused to eat meager food, including eggs. To prevent the eggs from becoming rotten, they were painted with onion peels. So they were stored until Easter and differed in color from raw eggs.
And on the holiday itself, it was customary to give each other not only painted bird eggs, but also wooden, carved and bone painted eggs, decorated in the most amazing ways. Especially for the holiday, they sprout grains of oats or wheat on a large dish or tray in order to beautifully lay out painted eggs.
In many cultures, the egg was considered a symbol of life and the other world.
5. Easter cake
Do you know why Easter cake is baked? After the Resurrection, Christ came to the disciples during their meals. In the tabernacle of Moses there was a special table of unleavened breads of offering, where the disciples brought yeast bread together with a peaceful sacrifice of gratitude to Christ.
This is how the tradition of leaving artos in the church (liturgical bread, which is used in Orthodox worship at Easter), was born. And each family began to bake their own bread for Christ in the form of a cake, adding nuts and raisins to it. Putting a cake on the Easter table, we believe that the risen Christ is invisibly present with us.
On the territory of southern Russia and Ukraine, Easter cake is known as "paska".
6. Curd Easter
Another traditional Easter dish is Easter, sweet cottage cheese with various additives. Easter is laid out in the form of a truncated pyramid and symbolizes Golgotha - the place of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is often decorated with the letters "ХВ" ("Christ is Risen!"), Images of a cross, a spear, a cane, sprouts and flowers, symbolizing the suffering and Resurrection of Christ
Easter cottage cheese has the shape of a pyramid, which symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher, which was found empty on Easter day.
7. Easter bunny
The main folk symbol of Easter in Western Europe is the Easter bunny (or hare). The tradition of associating this animal with the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ appeared around the 13th-15th centuries.
In Germanic pagan mythology, the hare (or rabbit) was associated with Eostra (the goddess of dawn, life and the renewal of nature).
With the advent of Christianity, pagan traditions were replaced by Christian ones. So, in some languages, Easter has a name that comes from the name of Eostra: (Ostern - in German, Easter - in English).
The existence of an Easter bunny that lays colorful chicken and chocolate eggs, of course, is believed only by young children, who on Easter morning go out to "hunt" for holiday treats.
From 1991 to 2005, at the Munich Center for Unusual Museums, there was also the Easter Bunny Museum, where more than a thousand figurines of an eared animal made of all kinds of materials were exhibited: wood, porcelain, papier-mâché, chocolate, etc.