Easter symbols. Easter egg and other symbols of the holiday
The holiday, which honors the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, by his resurrection from the dead, showed the possibility of an afterlife, made it clear to people that death is not the end of life, but only a stage in the transition to another level of life. The word "Easter" itself means in translation from Greek "transition" and "deliverance". The celebration of Easter was approved by the First All-Ukrainian Council back in 325. Each year the date of the celebration is different and comes on the next Sunday after the full moon in spring and usually happens between the beginning of April and the beginning of May.
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How to celebrate Easter?
The celebration of Easter always begins with a long preparation. Starting from Great (Clean) Thursday, Christians carry out general cleaning in their homes, wash their bodies before sunrise, bake Easter cakes and Easter cottage cheese, paint eggs. Easter is generally the most joyful and happy holiday for all Christians and they prepare for it very seriously. The main event of this day is the festive Easter service and the consecration of Easter symbols and attributes, as well as other products.
Easter table.
Since ancient times, it has been customary to celebrate the Easter holiday very solemnly and widely. Traditionally, a very rich and varied table was set. On the first day of the celebration, it was customary to celebrate it with your family. The feast began with the use of dishes consecrated in the church. First, a consecrated painted egg was divided among all family members, then they ate a piece of Easter cake and a spoonful of Easter cottage cheese. On a real Easter table, there must be a lamb made of rich dough, which is one of the symbols of the sacrifice made by Jesus and the atonement for the sins of all mankind.
A plentiful festive table was laid with diligence. The best option was a white festive tablecloth. At the head of the table, of course, were Easter cakes, Easter cottage cheese and colored eggs. From the dishes they prepared mainly hot meat and snacks, poultry dishes, a lot of various pastries. They decorated the table with lit candles, icons, Easter compositions.
The main symbol of Easter is Easter cake.
Easter cake is the current easter symbol, which in fact has little to no relation to Christianity and its customs. The ancient Slavs began to bake Easter cakes to praise and please the pagan god Phalos. The Easter cake itself has an oblong shape, reminiscent of a male reproductive organ. It is decorated with white sugar icing, symbolizing the spilled seed, and sprinkled with grains, a symbol of fertility.
Christians baked unleavened Orthodox bread for Easter with a cross or the letters ХВ. Such bread is a symbol of Jesus Christ himself, a symbol of daily bread and a symbol of God's care for all mankind. At present, delicious, sweet and fragrant Easter cake has replaced unleavened bread and has become one of the main attributes of Easter celebrations.
There are an incredible number of recipes for cooking Easter cake. Each house has its own unique and beloved by all family members recipe for Easter baking, passed down from hand to hand, from generation to generation!
However, there are general principles of its preparation, which have remained unchanged for many years. They start cooking Easter cakes on Maundy Thursday. The main components of the dough are: flour, yeast, eggs, milk, sugar and butter. The dough should rise well and come up, and since it is very rich, it takes a very long time. The dough is put into the form, filling only one third of the part, so that there is room for raising. The top of the finished cake is smeared with whipped proteins with sugar, decorated with Easter powder, candied fruit, coconut flakes, colored sugar figurines.
There is a popular belief that a well-baked Easter cake brings a good year, and vice versa, cracked and poorly risen, it threatens with trouble this year.
Colored eggs as a symbol of Easter.
The egg, in principle, is a symbol of fertility and the emergence of new life. But the custom of dyeing eggs appeared, according to the main historical version, even before the advent of Christianity! Findings in the form of painted ostrich eggs by archaeologists on the African continent testify to this.
It is a true Christian custom to dye eggs red. This tradition appeared after the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. And it is connected with the fact that the red color, in this case, symbolizes the blood of Christ shed for all Christians.
In addition, there are several interesting mythological stories about the origin of this custom. So, according to one of them, the very first Easter egg was presented to the emperor of Rome Tiberius by Mary Magdalene, who informed him about the resurrection of Christ. The emperor did not believe her words, and in response said that this was just as unrealistic as the fact that an egg could turn red. After these words, the egg really turned red.
According to another, less fantastic version, the custom of dyeing eggs is associated with Lent, the menu of which does not include eggs. To preserve eggs during this period, Christians boiled them and dyed them with natural dyes so as not to be confused with raw ones. Thus, the coloring of eggs could well turn into a tradition.
Nowadays, there are many options for coloring eggs. Of the natural dyes, onion peel is widely used, which gives the rich red color most suitable for traditions. For this method, you will need a lot of onion peel, which the housewives collect during the entire post. The husks are boiled over low heat for about 1 hour. The water is well salted. Put eggs in it and boil for 15-10 minutes so that the paint takes well. Eggs are cooled in cold water, dried. For a beautiful shine smeared with vegetable oil.
In addition to onion peel, other natural ingredients are also used:
for golden color - turmeric;
for pink - beetroot juice;
for blue - red cabbage;
for green - spinach;
for yellow - birch leaves, etc.
May this bright holiday truly bring peace and happiness to your family! Christ is risen!
Easter is a great church holiday, which each of us has known since childhood. For the celebration, eggs are dyed and delicious Easter cakes are baked, which are customary to consecrate in the church. But not everyone knows what Easter cake and eggs mean for Easter. Let's try to deal with everything in order.
What does the word "Easter" mean?
In the Christian understanding, the word "Easter" means the transition from death to life, from earthly to heaven. Forty days before the holiday, believers observe a strict fast, and then celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the victory of life over death.
The Jews pronounce the word "Passover" as "Pescha" - this Hebrew word means "passed by, or passed by." In their understanding, Passover is the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.
Easter: what does the holiday mean
For every believer, Easter is the main church holiday, bringing hope and faith in the best. It appeared long before the birth of Jesus Christ. Initially, the holiday had meaning only for the Jewish people, who for many years were in Egyptian captivity. Despite this, faith in liberation lived on in the hearts of the captives.
The Jewish prophet Moses and his brother were sent to save the people. Moses went to Pharaoh and tried to persuade him to let the people go. But no matter how hard he tried to do it, it was all in vain. The Egyptians did not believe in God and worshiped their own deities. To prove the existence of the Lord and his power, nine terrible plagues fell upon the people of Egypt.
During the last execution, at night, all the first-born males among animals and people were to be killed. To prevent this terrible punishment from touching the Jews, they had to slaughter a one-year-old male lamb. Draw a mark on the door with his blood, and bake the meat and eat it with the family. After this, Passover in the Jewish sense denotes a past or past misfortune.
The terrible events that took place greatly frightened the pharaoh, and he released the captives. After that, the Jews began to celebrate the liberation from slavery, and the holiday was called Easter.
The New Testament Christian Easter was established by the apostles shortly after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then the holiday was filled with a new meaning, and began to denote the victory of life over death. Initially, the holiday was dedicated to the memory of the death of the Savior. In the 5th century, the church revised the terms and rules for the celebration. Then Easter began to be celebrated as the triumph of the Resurrection of Christ.
What do eggs and Easter cake mean?
The main attributes of pagan Easter are krashenki and Easter cake with icing. There is an opinion that the symbols were borrowed from pagans who worship the god of fertility. It was for him that they baked Easter cakes, in appearance resembling a phallus. The top was painted white, symbolizing sperm, and sprinkled with grain, signifying fertility. Two chicken eggs were placed next to the Easter cake to complete the picture.
Even before the advent of Christ, the egg was considered a prototype of the universe. It symbolized the rebirth of nature after hibernation, life and fertility. The ancient Egyptians gave each other eggs to celebrate the arrival of Spring.
The tradition of dyeing eggs red began during the life of Marcus Aurelius. There is a legend that when the philosopher was born, one of his mother's hens laid an egg, the shell of which had red patches. This was interpreted as a sign that the future emperor had been born. Later, the Romans developed the custom of sending colored eggs to each other as congratulations.
It is customary to dye eggs red for Easter. There are several reasons for this tradition:
- It is believed that the red Easter egg is dyed with the blood of Christ.
- According to another legend, after the death of the Savior, seven Jews gathered together to celebrate this event. On the table, in addition to various dishes, were boiled eggs and fried chicken. One of those present said that according to rumors, Jesus should be resurrected, to which the owner of the house replied: it is possible only if the eggs turn red and the chicken comes to life. What actually happened, becoming proof of the existence and power of the Lord.
- According to the third version, after the death of Christ, his followers scattered around the world to inform people that the Savior would soon rise again, and life would conquer death. With the same news, Mary Magdalene came to the Roman emperor Tiberius. As a gift, she presented him with an egg - a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. But that the emperor answered her that just as an egg cannot turn red from white, so the dead cannot be resurrected. At the same moment, the eggshell turned red.
At Easter, it is customary to paint eggs in different colors, but the traditional one is red, which represents life and victory.
The consecration of Easter cake at Easter is considered a historical mistake and religious illiteracy. This dish is recognized as pagan. However, the tradition of baking Easter cakes and painting eggs has entered our lives so tightly that people sometimes do not even think about what these festive attributes mean.
Video: Easter cake - a pagan phallic symbol
Symbols of Easter: interesting and informative about familiar things
In our minds, Easter is firmly associated with fragrant elegant Easter cakes, cottage cheese paska with raisins, krashenka, lambs from dough. But few people think that these goodies are not only traditional Easter dishes, but also symbols of faith. As significant as the light of the Holy Fire or an Easter candle, patterned Easter eggs and delicate spring flowers - hyacinths, and primroses.
Easter eggs
Since ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of the feminine and masculine, and hence the birth of a new life. Colored eggs are a special symbol, and there is even an old legend about how the tradition of decorating eggs for this bright holiday was born. Saint Mary Magdalene came to the Roman emperor Tiberius, hoping to arouse his interest in Christianity. The woman held out her hand to him, in which the egg was squeezed with the words: “Christ is Risen!” The emperor did not believe that the resurrection of man was possible. He said that it was as impossible as if an egg went from white to red! At the same moment, Tiberius saw that the egg had turned bright red.
Not everyone knows that every color that an egg can be dyed has its own secret meaning:
- red united in himself the trinity of faith: law-abiding life, calm death and resurrection after it;
- green the color of the shell speaks of the awakening of nature and spring. It means the unity of the world of plants and animals, and also symbolizes life, resurrected after sleep and ready to continue itself;
- yellow paint creates a resemblance of an egg with ripe grain and will attract prosperity and prosperity, sunny summer and a rich harvest to the house;
- white color is the beginning of all beginnings, because whiteness is akin to sinlessness.
Easter baking
Fragrant air cake and cottage cheese paska are also integral attributes of the holiday. It is believed that artos became its prototype - bread, which is consecrated and placed on the lectern in the church on the first day of the great celebration. Easter is always baked, not necessarily cottage cheese, it is also customary to consecrate it in the church. According to tradition, paska is baked on the Thursday before the holiday, and they are brought to the church on the night from Saturday to Sunday. Easter cake symbolizes how Christ ate bread with the disciples so that they would believe in his resurrection.
This holiday has many symbols. Some of them are purely Christian, while others appeared as a result of the unity of Christian culture and pagan rites of the ancient Slavs.
colored eggs
The egg has long been considered a symbol of life and fertility. Where did the tradition of painting eggs for Easter come from? There are several versions. According to one of them, once at the sermon of Mary Magdalene, when she spoke about the life of Christ, the Roman emperor Tiberius doubted her words. "It's more likely that an egg will change its color than I will believe you!" he said. At the same moment, in front of everyone's eyes, the egg turned crimson. Another version says that the custom of painting eggs is associated with Lent. They could not be consumed during fasting, but the chickens continued to lay. Eggs had to be boiled to keep from spoiling. And in order not to confuse them with raw ones later, they were dyed.
Until now, the most popular color for Easter eggs is red - as a symbol of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is achieved mainly with the help of onion peel. After staining for shine, the egg is smeared with vegetable oil. Eggs dyed the same color are called eggs. Specks are those on which strips, specks, dots are also applied with paint. Pysanky are considered to be a real work of art - eggs, hand-decorated with all sorts of patterns.
The first thing people break their fast at Easter is colored eggs. It is customary for them to christen, knocking each other. Whoever's egg does not crack - he won, he can go on to measure his strength. Easter eggs are believed to have special healing powers. Previously, the eggs received from the priest during Christening were kept for the whole year.
Easter cake
Initially, an unleavened loaf with a cross applied to it was called Easter cake. He personified daily bread. Now Easter cake cannot be called insipid, it is sweet and fragrant. For its preparation, candied fruits, raisins, coconut flakes, special Easter powder are used.
The shape of the Easter cake is round, because the funeral shroud of Jesus Christ had such a shape. During its preparation in the old days in Russia, the hostesses put on clean elegant clothes, which emphasized the importance of the process. Easter cakes, baked correctly, and most importantly, with pure thoughts, do not go stale for another 40 days after the holiday.
Curd Easter
Easter is a four-sided pyramid. It is made in this form for a reason. The pyramid is a symbol of Golgotha, the mountain on which Jesus Christ was crucified. In order to achieve a similar shape when preparing Easter, housewives put the curd mass in a special pastry box. On its walls, a cross or the letters ХВ (Christ is Risen) are often carved in advance. Easter is sweet and delicious. Easter is being prepared, however, like Easter cake with eggs, on Maundy Thursday. They bring to the temple to consecrate on Saturday, immediately before the holiday.
Holy Fire
The miracle of the convergence of the Holy Fire is still being questioned. But the fact remains - every year on Easter Eve, he appears out of nowhere. From the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, it is delivered to all major churches, including in our country. While there in the service, believers can light a candle from the sacred fire. Many people light lamps and take them home. Some even maintain this fire at home for a year, until the next Resurrection of Christ. It is believed that it will be sufficient to simply stand with a candle in hand in the service. At such moments, one can voice requests to oneself, thank the Lord for the gift given earlier.
Other symbols of Easter - Easter bunny, Easter lamb, Easter wreath
In addition to the most famous symbols, Easter also has additional ones. Not everyone knows about them, not everyone recognizes them, but they do not contradict the Orthodox faith in any way and are a pleasant decoration of the holiday. For example, the Easter Bunny is a symbol of fertility and prosperity. His figurines are given by relatives to each other with wishes of well-being in the house. The Easter lamb is the main dish of the holiday table in many countries. And the Easter wreath symbolizes eternal life. By the way, there is an opinion that on the day of the Resurrection of Christ, any bouquet of fresh flowers can be considered Easter.
Easter symbols.
In our minds, Easter is strongly associated with Easter cakes and colored eggs (krashenka). But it turns out that this bright celebration has other integral symbols!
Fragrant elegant Easter cakes, snow-white pastries, bright multi-colored eggs, lambs made from dough - all these are dishes served during the Easter celebration, which we have known since childhood. True, we do not always think about it. that the listed traditional goodies are articles of faith. As significant as the light of the Holy Fire or an Easter candle, patterned Easter eggs and delicate spring flowers - hyacinths, daffodils and primroses.
Easter egg.
The egg is one of the most ancient symbols of the nascent and ever-renewing life, as well as the resurrection of Christ. According to tradition, the first Easter egg was given by Mary Magdalene to the Roman Emperor Tiberius. The disciple of the Savior came to the palace to tell the good news. According to the custom of those times, mere mortals certainly had to make some kind of gift to the powers that be. Mary Magdalene, once rich and noble, now had nothing, and she brought only one testicle to the palace, handing it to Liberius with the words: “Christ is risen!” The emperor did not believe the woman: “How can anyone rise from the dead?! It's impossible, just like that. that a white egg can turn red. It was then that a miracle happened: the egg really turned red, like the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.
In Ukraine, not only Easter eggs are prepared for Easter, but also Easter eggs, on which sacred patterns are applied. Such a painted egg becomes a talisman and a talisman of the family.
Lamb of God.
In many countries around the world, Easter is associated with the image of the lamb. In Western Europe, it is often depicted on Easter cards: a lamb, a cross and an inscription in Latin - Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). The lamb symbolizes the great sacrifice of Christ: for the sake of our life, he accepted death. In Ukraine, a figurine of a lamb is baked from dough and decorated with a festive table.
Easter and Easter cakes.
Fragrant airy Easter cake, or delicious Easter, is another important symbol of the holiday. It is believed that artos became its prototype - bread, which is consecrated and placed on the lectern in the church on the first day of the great celebration. And the Easter cake, flaunting on our table. - not only a tradition, but also a special sign: in this house the doors are always open for the Savior, He is remembered and waited for here.
By the way, in Ukraine, Easter cakes are often called pasochki. In fact, Easter is a special dish made from cottage cheese. It is prepared in the form of a truncated pyramid, symbolizing the Holy Sepulcher, and Easter cakes are baked from yeast dough. The original recipes for this extraordinarily delicious magical pastry are given here.
Hyacinths and daffodils.
The Resurrection of Christ is a joyful holiday, along with spring, our souls also awaken. Therefore, it is not surprising that flowers have become one of the symbols of Easter. First of all - hyacinths and daffodils. By the way, in the old days they were called Easter lilies, they decorated icons and the Easter table with them.
Another flower that you can't do without for Easter. - white carnation. According to religious symbolism, carnations are the flowers of Christ. By the way, they are still used to decorate many temples. From 33 white carnations (according to the number of earthly years of Jesus' life), a garland is assembled on the shroud (in memory of the shroud that was wrapped around the body of the Savior, removed from the cross).
Blessed Fire.
On the eve of Easter, people hold their breath waiting for a miracle - the appearance of the Holy Fire. Surprisingly, it has been happening for thousands of years. The church ceremony of the Holy Fire begins about a day before the Orthodox Easter.
In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, pilgrims gather who want to see the descent of the Holy Fire with their own eyes. All. what carries the fire is taken out of the temple. In the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher, a lamp is placed, filled with oil, but without fire. Pieces of cotton wool are scattered throughout the bed, and a tape is laid along the edges. So prepared, after examining the Turkish guards, and now the Jewish police. Edicule (chapel over the Holy Sepulcher) is closed and sealed by a Muslim keykeeper.
A procession enters the temple - the hierarchs of the confessions celebrating Easter. The people inside are patiently waiting for the patriarch to come out with fire in his hands. Prayer and ritual continue until the expected miracle happens.
I must say that in different years the waiting lasted from five minutes to several hours. Before the descent, the temple begins to be illuminated by bright flashes of the Blessed Light, small lightning flashes here and there. From the hole in the dome of the temple, a column of light descends from heaven onto the coffin: Christ is risen!
Within 3-10 minutes, the ignited fire has properties - it does not burn at all. You can see how the parishioners literally wash themselves with this fire: they drive it over their faces, hands, scoop it up in handfuls - and it does absolutely no harm and does not even scorch their hair.
And soon, from the blessed fire, lamps are lit throughout Jerusalem. Fire is transported by special flights to Cyprus and Greece, and from there all over the world.
Candle light.
The tradition of placing a large candle at the altar during the Easter night service exists in all Christian countries. It is from her that all the other lamps in the church are then lit. This ritual originated in the IV century AD. moreover, the main candle is a symbol of Jesus Christ, and its sacred flame is a symbol of the Resurrection. The light of a burning candle personifies the sacrifice of Christ, who gave his life for the sake of the people.
In the old days, people took candles with holy fire home to kindle hearths with their help (by the way, this custom still exists in many Orthodox churches).
Easter Bunny.
Increasingly, we see funny Easter hares (rabbits) in the windows of our stores, sometimes with a cart full of eggs. The first mention of this character dates back to 1682. Georg Frank von Frankenau wrote about the hare in his treatise On Easter Eggs.
Many scholars derive the English name for Easter, Eastern, and the German, Ostern, from the spring goddess Eostre, whose symbols are the egg and the hare. The reasons for the appearance of a hare in Easter symbolism are called different. They even remember that this is a lunar animal, and the holiday just falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the day of the vernal equinox.
By the way, one of the ancient legends about the goddess Moon tells about her faithful messenger - a hare. One day, the Moon, watching the lives of people, felt sorry for the old mother who had lost her son, and decided to resurrect the young man. She sent the hare to the inconsolable mother with the good news: the son will be resurrected. The hare came running very quickly, but on the way he forgot what exactly he was instructed to tell the poor woman. The moon, angry, punished the long-eared one - he was forever left with a split lip.
One way or another, the fluffy hare has long been considered the one who is able to tell the good news faster than others, and is also a symbol of fertility and fertility, which means the continuity of life. His presence on the Easter table promises well-being, a good harvest.
Easter tree.
One of the symbols of the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ has long been an Easter tree, personifying the Tree of Life standing in paradise, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
In our country, the Easter tree was made from willow branches, which were decorated with colorful ribbons, Easter eggs and bird feathers. By the way, until the 17th century, during the procession of the Russian patriarch, an Easter tree decorated with artificial flowers and fruits was always carried on firewood. - "royal willow."
Want to decorate your home for the holidays?
Put a few willow branches in a vase
or fruit trees and dress them up
as your fantasy tells you.