021810the history of lent and easter

8/14/2019 021810The History of Lent and Easter

1/28

A Chronological Anthology of

The History of LentWhy we do what we do

Compiled by Thomas A. Pence Historiographer/Archivist EpiscopalDiocese of Indianapolis and St. Michaels Episcopal Church,

Noblesville


2/28

Lent - DefinitionLent comes from the Anglo-Saxon: Old English word Lenctentid (pronLENG-ten-teed), which means the time of lengthening. Welsh is Llen:

lengthening, flowing. teneuder: thinness. The entire spring season wascalled Lenctentid. When Christianity arrived the days of Lent became theforty days Christ fasted in the desert. The first day was called AshWednesday and the last week called Holy Week; commemorated the lastweek of Christ's life.

Holy Thursday, Green Thursday, or Maundy (mandate) Thursday of HolyWeek is the last day of Lent. It was the day Christ was sentenced to bekilled by the Romans. Good Friday is the day that he died on the cross.Holy Saturday is a vigil and Easter is the celebration of Christ's

resurrection.

On Tuesday, February 16, 2010 we will observe the final day before theLenten fast. This day is variously called the celebration of Carnival(farewell to meat) which concluded on Fat Tuesday orMardi Gras, orShrove Tuesdays pancakes or "Shrovetide" (consuming the eggs, milkand fat not allowed during the fasting ofLent). Shrove Tuesday refers to theancient practice of being shriven

(confessing and receiving absolution) inorder to begin and keep a holy Lent.

The observance of a "Carnival" (Mardi Gras

- French : Mardi, Tuesday + gras, fat) before the Lenten period (a

Christian symbolic penitence from Ash Wednesday to Easter) is notnew. It originated in the middle of the second century in Rome when the

Fast of the 40 days of Lent was preceded by a feast of several days

during which time participants delivered themselves up to voluntary

madness, put on masks, clothed themselves like spectres, gavethemselves up to Bacchus and Venus and considered all pleasure

allowable.


3/28

The name carnival is derived from the Latin Caro, Carnis, flesh, and vale,farewell (according to Ducange, from the Latin denomination of the feastsof the Middle Ages, carnis levamen, solace of the flesh), because at thattime people took leave of flesh. The carnival of the modern world is nothingmore or less than the Saturnalia of the Christian Romans who could not

forget their pagan festivals. From Rome, the celebration spread to otherEuropean countries and finally to America.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010, we enter one of the most importantseasons of the church yearthe 40 days of Lent. The word Lent comesfrom the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, meaning spring, the time of year whenthe days begin to lengthen. Lent itself is always the same period of time,but its starting date is tied to the movable feast of Easter and can be asearly as February 4 or as late as March 10.

Starting on Ash Wednesday, the Lenten season includes 40 weekdays andfive Sundays before Holy Week and the culminating triumph of theResurrection at Easter. Lent has two majorfocuses: (1) baptism, which in the early churchoccurred only at Easter. The Sunday readingsprovide a short course on the meaning ofbaptism, and (2) the one with which most of usare now more familiar-is fasting andrenunciation. This theme recalls Jesus 40

days in the wilderness, and through them thediscipline of self-denial reflecting the sacrifice ofour will to the purpose of God.

The time increment of 40 is echoed in other biblical stories such as;40 days of Moses' fasting and praying (Exodus 34:27-28)40 days and nights for Elijah fasting until he came to Mt. Horeb

(Kings 19:1-28 40 days of rain for Noah40 days of testing of Jesus in the wilderness after his baptism in the

Jordan River40 years of schooling of the people of Israel, in the Exodus

The Sunday readings provide a short course on the meaning of baptism.


4/28

The name "Day of Ashes" comes from "Dies Cinerum" in the RomanMissal and is found in the earliest existing copies of the GregorianSacramentary. The exact origin day is not clear Until the 600s, Lent beganon Quadragesima (Fortieth) Sunday, but Gregory the Great (c.540-604)moved it to a Wednesday, now called Ash Wednesday, to secure the exact

number of 40 days in Lent - not counting Sundays, which werefeast days. Gregory, who is regarded as the father of themedieval papacy, is also credited with the ceremony that givesthe day its name. As Christians came to the church forforgiveness, Gregory marked their foreheads with ashesreminding them of the biblical symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes)and mortality: "You are dust, and to dust you will return" (Gen 3:19) tocommemorate Jesus' last week of life on earth. Putting a "cross" mark onthe forehead was in imitation of the spiritual mark or seal that is put on aChristian in baptism. This is when the newly born Christian is deliveredfrom slavery to sin and the devil, and made a slave of righteousness andChrist (Rom. 6:3-18).In the Old Testament, ashes were found to have been used for twopurposes; (1) as a sign of humility and mortality and; (2) as a sign of sorrowand repentance for sin. The Christian connotation for ashes in the liturgy ofAsh Wednesday has also been taken from this Old Testament biblicalcustom. Receiving ashes on the head as a reminder of mortality and a signof sorrow for sin was a practice of the Anglo-Saxon church in the 10thcentury. It was made universal throughout the Western church at the Synod

of Benevento in 1091.

Originally the use of ashes to be a token of penance was a matter ofprivate devotion. Later it became part of the official rite for reconcilingpublic penitents. In this context, ashes on the penitent served as a motivefor fellow Christians to pray for the returning sinner and to feel sympathy forhim. Still later, the use of ashes passed into its present rite of beginning thepenitential season of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

This is also an adoption of the way "righteousness" is described in the bookof Revelation, where we come to know about the servants of God. Thereference to the sealing of the servants of God for their protection inRevelation is an allusion to a parallel passage in Ezekiel, where Ezekielalso sees a sealing of the servants of God for their protection (see Ezekiel9:4-6; unfortunately however, like most modern translations, the onequoted in this sentence [the Revised Standard Version, which has beenquoted thus far], is not sufficiently literal. What it actually says is to place a


5/28

tav on the foreheads of the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem. A Tav isone of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and in ancient script it looked likethe Greek letter chi, which happens to be two crossed lines [like an "x"] andwhich happens to be the first letter in the word "Christ" in Greek Christos.

The Jewish rabbis commented on the connection between tav and chi andthis is undoubtedly the mark that Revelation has in mind when the servantsof God are sealed in it). The early Church Fathers seized on this tav-

chi-cross-christos connection and expounded it in theirhomilies, seeing in Ezekiel a prophetic foreshadowing of thesealing of Christians as servants of Christ. It is also part of thebackground to the Catholic practice of making the sign of thecross, which in the early centuries (as can be documentedfrom the second century on) was practiced by using one'sthumb to furrow one's brow with a small sign of the cross, like

Catholics and Anglicans do today at the reading of the Gospel during Mass.By the 800s, some Lenten practices were already becoming morerelaxed. First, Christians were allowed to eat after 3 p.m.

It should be noted here that in approximately the year of 990, churchfathers saw in Ezekiel a prophetic foreshadowing of the sealing ofChristians as servants of Christ. It is also part of the background of theCatholic practice of making the sign of the cross, which in the earlycenturies (as can be documented from the second century on) was

practiced by using one's thumb to furrow one's brow with a small sign of thecross, like Catholics do today at the reading of the Gospel during Mass.

By the 1400s, Christians were allowed to eat after noon. Eventually,various foods (like fish) were allowed, and by 1966 most churches onlyrestricted fast days to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It should benoted, however, that practices in Eastern Orthodox churches are still quitestrict.

At the time of the Reformation, some Christians wanted to eliminate Lent

since Scripture didn't command it. Luther urged that it be kept, for he sawLent as an opportunity for the strengthening of faith. "Lent, Palm Sunday,and Holy Week shall be retained, not to force anyone to fast, but topreserve the Passion history and the Gospels appointed for that season.However, no one should be forced to participate. It should be voluntary."


6/28

Lent is 40 days long (not counting Sundays, which are always feast days)reflecting the 40 days of rain for Noah, the 40 years of schooling of thepeople, Israel, in the Exodus, and the 40 days of testing of Jesus in thewilderness after his baptism in the Jordan River (refer back to top of page3). Liturgies during Lent are subdued, introspective, and penitential in

nature, often beginning in silence and with the general confession of thepeople.

First Sunday in Lent (February 21, 2010) The readingsduring the five Sundays of Lent provide a short course inthe meaning of baptism, with each reading referringdirectly to part of the baptismal rite in the Book ofCommon Prayer. On this first Sunday in Lent, thereadings focus on turning away from evil. In the earlychurch this occurred only at Easter.

Second Sunday in Lent (February 28, 2010)The second Lenten theme is that offasting and renunciation. In baptism

we offer ourselves to God in Christ-a sacrifice of

ourselves reinforced in the reference to self-offering

found in each Eucharistic prayer. This theme recalls

Jesus 40 days in the wilderness, and through them

the discipline of self-denial reflecting the sacrifice ofour will to the purpose of God.

Third Sunday in Lent (March 7, 2010) After

focusing on turning away from evil (February 21)

and turning toward Christ. The readings today

further continue Lents exploration of baptism by looking at what we thirst

for in life.


7/28

Fourth Sunday in Lent (March 14, 2010) Todaysreadings seek empowerment from the Holy Spirit.

Fifth Sunday in Lent (March 21, 2010)Concluding five weeks of readings focused on the

meaning of baptism, todays readings invite us toput our whole life and trust in Christ, who leadsus through death into life.

Sixth Sunday in Lent: Palm Sunday (March 28,2010) The palms in church on this day honor Christs entry intoJerusalem. Burned later, the ashes of these palms will, on AshWednesday of next year, symbolize our mortality and sorrow for our sins.

The end of Lent marks the one week called Passion tide, orHoly Week. It

begins on this day,Passion Sunday, alsocalled Palm Sunday, andends at the first Alleluia ofEaster in the midst of theGreat Vigil on Saturdaynight. Passion Sundaybegins with the triumphalprocession commemorating

Jesus entering the HolyCity on a donkey.

Participants experience inthe liturgy a stark change inthe middle of things. Whathad been falsely

understood as Jesus joining the crowd becomes the confrontation of Jesuswith the failures of society and the crowd as well. The day turns decidedlydark and we read dramatically of Jesus being sought for arrest by the

threatened authorities. The color for this Sunday is red, as was the color ofthe martyrs' blood.

Holy Week begins this day, the Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday, sometimes called Passion Sunday is the beginning ofHolyWeek, which is given to meditation on the events of Jesus' last weekbefore His crucifixion. Thursday of Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday("Maundy" comes from the Latin word "mandatum," which means


8/28

"commandment"). The reference is to Jesus' command that his discipleswash one another's feet. Maundy Thursday is a commemoration of the LastSupper, the Passover meal Jesus celebrated with His disciples the night hewas betrayed. It is usually celebrated with Holy Communion. Friday of HolyWeek is called Good Friday ("Good Friday" is probably a variant of "God's

Friday," the same way we say "good-bye" today instead of "God be withye"). Good Friday is an observance of Jesus' crucifixion. It is a somber dayof reflection and repentance, and some churches remove flowers and alldecorative elements from the sanctuary to reflect the mood. Saturday ofHoly Week is sometimes called Holy Saturday, and is characterized bywatchfulness and preparation.

As legend has it, the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made from adogwood tree. God decreed that the dogwood tree would from that dayforth never grow large enough to be used to make a

cross. Thus, the dogwood tree is a small, spindly tree.

The flower of the dogwood has four petals which makesthe shape of a cross, each of which is stained with red atthe center edge, denoting Christ's blood on the fourextremities of the cross. The center of the flowerresembles the crown of thorns with bright red, clusteredfruit in the center representing the crown and blood ofChrist. It blooms in April, around the time of Easter

Sunday.The next major liturgy is Maundy Thursday ([From the Latin formandate , then Middle English maunde, meaning a ceremony ofwashing the feet of the poor on this day). This liturgycommemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. At theclose of this liturgy we remember that Jesus departed from theupper room for the Garden of Gethsemane. At this time, the altar

area is stripped of all ornamentation and all symbols of God's presence. NoEucharists may be celebrated from this time until Easter anywhere in the

world.


9/28

On Good Friday our Lord was killed for the follyof humankind and the love and willingness of Godto let the consequences play themselves out. Wegather, often in the darkness with the wearing ofblack, for one of the most touching liturgies of the

year. Here we share our pain with God, whoknows all about pain, tears, and death, and webegin the observance of the three days of Hisdeath, when our Lord was in the tomb. The lightsgo dim and we leave in silence to await God'sresolution. The culmination of the liturgies of thechurch is the Great Vigil and first Eucharist of Easter. In some churches,we gather in the tomb-like darkness ofHoly Saturday night and, suddenly,a great flame is struck among us. This flame is the new fire of Christcoming among us in the midst of the tomb. The Paschal Candle (from LatinPascha meaning Passover) is lighted from the fire and the celebrantprocesses throughout

the Nave (the part of the church where thepews are - from the Latin word for ship ornavy), symbolizing the pillar of fire by whichGod led the Hebrews out of Egypt toward thePromised Land. The celebrant pauses threetimes to chant, The Light of Christ; and threetimes the people respond, Thanks be to God.

The people light individual candles from thePaschal Candle and the light spreads in the

darkness among the congregation as we chant and read the OldTestament stories of God's deliverance from death and slavery. Then, withthe first reading from the resurrection narratives all the lights come on andwe sing alleluias for the first time since Epiphany season, and we find thechurch beautifully decorated for Easter with the vestments of white andflowers everywhere. We then joyfully celebrate together the first Eucharistof Easter tide.

Around the second century A.D., Christian missionariesseeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe realizedthat the time of the crucifixion of Jesus roughly coincidedwith the Teutonic springtime celebrations, whichemphasized the triumph of life over death.


10/28

Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols. Easter tidebegins with that first Alleluia at the Great Vigil, continues through the festiveEucharists of the Day of Resurrection, and ends 50 days later on the Dayof Pentecost. During this season, the liturgical color is white and liturgiesare uplifting and joyful. The General Confession is not used during the first

weeks. God has turned us full circle: from the ash heap of our lives of AshWednesday He has brought us into fullness of life and joy. God does,indeed, have the final word. The Paschal Candle burns in the church nearthe font throughout this season and at all baptisms and funerals. We alsouse it for weddings to symbolize the presence of Christ and the possibilityof resurrected living in a marriage relationship. Some churches continuethe tradition of Lenten fasting today. Others encourage believers to make asacrifice of self-denial in preparation for Easter observances. Lent ischaracterized as a time of personal reflection and repentance.

Easter April 3, 2010

The original pagan name was taken from Ishtar, the Babylonian andAssyrian goddess of love and fertility. The Phoenicians knew her asAstarte, sister and consort of Baal, a God worshipped in much of theMiddle East and Mediterranean areas. Some of the ancient Hebrews also

worshipped Baal.Some scholars believe the

word Easter comes from theearly German word eostarun,which means dawn. Most,however, believe that the nameof Astarte spread throughEurope. According to theVenerable Bede, Christianhistorian and theologian,writing in the 8th century,

Astarte became Ostara,(sometimes spelled "Estre"),pronounced "Eestruh", theAnglo-Saxon goddess ofspring, fertility, and the risingsun and her accompanying

festival. The Old English word for Easter, "Eastre" refers to Ostara.


11/28

In the Christian faith, Easter is celebrated to commemorate theResurrection of Christ. Thus it is the most sacred of all holy days. How thispagan festival came to be supplanted by a solemn Christian holiday atteststo the ingenuity of second century Christian missionaries.

In the early English versions of the Bible, the word, Eostre, was frequentlyused as the translation of the Greek, pascha (thePassover). When the Authorized Version (1611)was written, the word "Passover" was used in allpassages in which the word, pascha, occurred,except in Acts 12:4. In the Revised Version theproper word, "Passover," is always used.

Around the second century A.D., the

aforementioned missionaries traveled among theTeutonic tribes north of Rome. Whenever possible, they converted thetribes of northern Europe realizing that the time of the crucifixion of Jesusroughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, whichemphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter graduallyabsorbed the traditional symbols by transformation of local pagan customsto harmonize with Christian doctrine. As far as the missionaries wereconcerned, however, Easter was originally called "Pascha" after theHebrew word meaning "Passover." ("Easter" being a corruption of the

name "Eostre"). It would have been suicide for the very early Christianconverts to celebrate their holy days with observances that did not coincidewith celebrations that already existed. On a practical basis, this preventedpossible local converts from being persecuted by the pagan traditionalists.So to save the lives of their converts as well as their own, the missionariescleverly decided to spread their religious message slowly throughout thepopulations by allowing them to continue to celebrate pagan feasts, but todo so in a Christian manner.

Since the Eastre festival to celebrate spring coincided with the time of the

Christian observance of the resurrection of Christ, this crossover wasachieved smoothly. Some doubt, though, still remains as to the exact dayof the celebration.


12/28

Alban Eiler (White Regeneration, White Spring) EstherAs previously mentioned, Easter was a vernal equinox festival that honoredthe coming of spring and the sun. It was named afterthe Anglo-Saxon goddess of the Dawn and Springnamed Eostre and celebrated the triumph of spring

over winter and life over death. The Norse Eostur,Eastar, Ostara, and Ostar, means season of thegrowing sun. In Wales, Alban Eiler, eos is nightingale,ostl is inn, os is branch.

The festival lasted a month and was called Eastur-monath (pronouncedeh-YAW-stir MOH-nawth). When Christianity arrived in Europe, the church

forbade spring fire rites until the year 752 A.D. andsubstituted Paschal fires (fires for Christ) for the oldones. Easter became Christ's resurrection. The

Anglo-Saxons continued to bake cakes, as was theircurrent custom for the time, which became what wenow know as hot cross buns.

An early church father, Irenaus of Lyons (c.130-c.200), wrote of anequivalent Christian season in the earliest days of the church, but at thattime it was a 2-day fast (Friday and Saturday), not the 40 days observedtoday.

As time passed, this fast was extended in various places to a week (e.g., inAlexandria and probably Rome). Though we are not certain how itdeveloped, in 325, the Emperor, Constantine, convened the Council ofNice, discussed a 40-day Lenten season of fasting, and it was decreed;Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon afterthe vernal equinox. However, a caveat must be introduced here. The "fullmoon" in the rule is the ecclesiastical full moon, which is defined as thefourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where day 1 corresponds to theecclesiastical New Moon. It does not always occur on the same date as theastronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical "vernal equinox" is always onMarch 21. Therefore, Easter would be celebrated on a Sunday between thedates of March 22 and April 25 and is bound never to fall before March 22or after April 25. It's unclear, however, whether or not its original intent was

just for new Christians preparing for Baptism, but it soon encompassed thewhole Church.

The earliest reference to a 40 day fast leading up to Easter on


13/28

record is the Second Festal letter of Athanasius in 330 A.D. Exactly howthe churches counted those 40 days varied depending on their location. Inthe East, one only fasted on weekdays. The western church's Lent wasone week shorter, but included Saturdays. Only one meal was taken aday, near the evening. There was to be no meat, fish, or animal products

eaten. In both places, however, the observance was both strict andserious.

Easter was originally celebrated as one continuous festival, but in the fourthcentury it was divided into separate observances of the Resurrection, theAscension, and Pentecost. Aside from English and German, the words forPassover and Easter are the same in most languages.

The date of Easter, which determines much of the rest of the churchcalendar, is fixed according to the Paschal Calendar developed by

Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk, in 527. Essentially, Easter falls on thefirst Sunday following the first full moon falling on or after the first day ofspring (March 21). Fixing Easter in such a manner causes it to fall at thesame time as the Jewish Passover, since the first Easter coincided withthat feast. The Orthodox Eastern Church calculates Easter somewhatdifferently, so that the Orthodox Easter usually comes several weeks afterthat of the West.

Because of Easter's relation to the lunar calendar, many popular seasonal

traditions, such as Easter eggs and the Easter bunny, are more closelyassociated with pagan rites of fertility and spring than with Easter.

In some churches every Sunday is considered to be a "little Easter".The liturgical colors for Lent are;(1) purple (violet), indicating penitence and royalty, or

(2) rough unbleached linen, based on the sackclothof Old Testament mourning and reflecting thesomber mood of the season.On Good Friday, black is substituted.The liturgical color for the Easter season is white.

The next five Sundays begin with Sunday followedby Ascension Day (Thursday) and, 10 days later, by Pentecost. TheSunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. Until Advent, the weeks arecounted from Pentecost or Trinity.


14/28

Other Traditions in this Country

CandlesCandles are burned during many Easter celebrations, especially the vigil

and midnight services before Easter Sunday.Christians associate Jesus with the light fromcandles, calling Him "the Light of the World."Many churches extinguish candles on their altarson Good Friday to show that Jesus' light has goneout. In Roman Catholic churches, the specialpaschal candle is lit on Easter Sunday next to themain altar. The candle represents Jesus' return to

life. The candle is often lit during the next 40 days, until it is put out onAscension Day.

Easter Bonnets Wearing new clothes for Easter is a customcommon among many Christians. It may have originated fromthe old practice of having newly baptized Christians wear newwhite clothes for the Easter celebration. Like many other Eastersymbols, the new clothes represent the new life offered throughthe death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Easter promenades of people in new clothes are a tradition inmany European towns and villages. A person holding a cross oran Easter candle leads some of these promenades. In New York City,thousands of people stroll in the Easter Parade down Fifth Avenue to showoff their new clothes following Easter services.

Lavinia Dobler, author of Customs andHolidays Around the World, said Easter wasonce known as the "Sunday of Joy." In thiscountry after the Civil War, mothers anddaughters began wearing colorful floweredhats and elaborate corsages as part of the

celebration, Dobler writes. "Easter is a wayfor a woman to wear her new straw hat askind of a coming-out event, such as an Easterparade or church services." Easter Sunday isa feast day. Many Christians in EasternEurope and those of eastern Europeanancestry in North America have their Easter

feast blessed by a priest. The priest may go to the home, or families maytake their food to church for the blessing.


15/28

Fasting

Meat, cheese, butter, eggs and fat are not eaten during Lent. One gives upsomething they enjoy for the Lenten season. Scotland: Egg white divining

in a cup of water and nut burning. The yolks fromthe eggs are saved to make bannocks, a special

bread. Germany and Austria: Pretzels are a Lentenfood made without fat that is made to look like armscrossed in prayer. Monks in the fifth century gavethem to the poor.

Lilies

In early Christian art the lily is a symbol of purity because of its delicateform and white color. Easter Lilies are used to decorate churches andhomes and was adopted as the Easter flower because it blooms aroundEaster time in the spring. The large, pure white blossoms remindChristians of the pure new life that comes to them through theResurrection of Jesus. The white lily stands for purity. Artists for centuries

have pictured the angel Gabriel coming to theVirgin Mary with a spray of lilies in his hand, toannounce that she is to be the mother of theChrist child. The lily is also the sign of theResurrection. The white Madonna lily was usedfor years as the Easter lily. It often failed to

bloom in time for Easter, however, and soBermuda lilies were substituted. They havesix-part flowers (three petals and three sepalscolored alike) and usually six stamens. In fact,

lilies did not exist in North America until about 100 years ago.

The Lily in the BIBLE: Lessons to trust are gathered from the Lily: Matthew6: 28-30 Molded in the rim of the molten laver in the temple: 1 Kings 7:26 &2 Chronicles 4:5 The principle capitals of the temple ornamented withcarvings of lilies: 1 Kings 7:19, 22, 26 Used in a figurative sense, of the lipsof the beloved: Song of Solomon 5:13


16/28

Passion Plays

Passion Plays dramatize the Easter story. Such plays have beenperformed during the Easter season sincethe Middle Ages. The most famous one isusually presented every 10 years in

Oberammergau, in southern Germany. Itdates from 1634. In the United States, Passion Plays are performedannually in several cities.

Non-Religious Easter Practices

Cards and Chocolate

Easter cards arrived in Victorian England, when a stationer added a

greeting to a drawing of a rabbit. The cards proved popular. The Germansprobably began making chocolate bunnies and eggs.Immigrants took the custom toPennsylvania. As Easter celebrationsbecame more common after the CivilWar, the custom of chocolate eggstook hold.

Easter Eggs

Likewise, eggs have always been an importantfeature of pagan Springtime celebrations of newlife, fertility, etc. Eggs, which represent new life,have been a symbol of spring since ancient times.Ancient Persians, Phoenicians, Hindus and

Egyptians believed the world began with an egg. Exchanging of eggs in thespringtime is an ancient custom. Egyptians buried eggs in their tombs. TheGreeks placed eggs on their tombs. A Roman proverb states, "All life

comes from an egg". In most cultures, the egg signifies birth andresurrection. One legend says a great egg broke in half forming the earthand sky with the yolk as the sun. Christians adopted the egg as an Eastersymbol because of the relationship between Easter and the renewal of life.It is also the symbol of Christ breaking the binds of the tomb. The Orphiclegend of the origin of the Universe has the Earth being hatched out of anenormous egg (if you read this in some detail you will find a remarkablesimilarity to the current evolutionary [pagan] theory of the "cosmic egg"origin of the Universe). In a broad range of pagan societies, from Egypt and


17/28

Mesopotamia to the British Isles, brightly-decorated eggs were (and stillare) presented as gifts and charms to bring (supernaturally) fertility andsexual success each Spring.

In ancient Europe, eggs of different colors were taken from the nests ofvarious birds and used to make talismans. Some eggs were ritually eaten.The search through the woods for eggs gradually evolved into the Easteregg hunt, while Eggs were eventually painted bright colors to resemble thesun and springtime, replacing the wild birds' eggs. Often, the colors and

patterns had romantic symbolism, and loversexchanged eggs much as they send Valentine'sDay cards today. Easter baskets were probablyoriginally intended to resemble birds' nests. InMedieval Europe, eggs were forbidden duringLent. Therefore, they were a prized Easter gift for

children and servants.Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and inGreece, painted eggs bright red to resemble the

blood of Christ. Hollow eggs (created by piercing the shell with a needleand blowing out the contents) were decorated with pictures of Christ, theVirgin Mary, and other religious figures in Armenia.

Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday. They also hunghollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then

boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created.

The most elaborate Easter egg traditions appear to have emerged inEastern Europe. In Poland and Ukraine, eggs were often painted silver andgold. Pysanky (to design or write) eggs were created by carefully applyingwax in patterns to an egg. The egg was then dyed, wax would be reappliedin spots to preserve that color, and the egg was boiled again inother shades. The result was a multi-color stripped or patterned egg.

So when the church began to celebrate the Resurrection in the second

century, the egg was a popular symbol. In those days, wealthy peoplecovered gift eggs in gold leaf, while peasants dyed theirs with flowers andherbs. Now people decorate eggs of all types and they can be encrustedwith gold, silver, and precious stones.


18/28

Easter Egg Rolling

In many countries, children hunt forEaster eggs hidden about the home.Children in the United Kingdom,

Germany, and some other countriesplay a game in which eggs are rolledagainst one another or down a hill.The egg that stays uncracked thelongest wins. In Scotland and Ireland,however, the first egg that lands atthe bottom is the winner.

Rolling eggs on the Monday after Easter was a tradition observed bymany Washington families, including those of the President. Some

historians believe Dolley Madison first suggested the idea of a publicegg roll, while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties at the

White House dating back to President Lincoln's day.

Public egg-rolling celebrations, however, were held not at the White House,

but on the grounds of the Capitol. Press accounts from as early as 1872

recount stories of Washington children of all ages joining together to roll

eggs on the congressional grounds.

An old description of that first celebration reads:

At first the children sit sedately in long rows; each has brought abasket of gay-colored hard-boiled eggs, and those on the upperterrace send them rolling to the line next below, and those pass onthe ribbon-like streams to hundreds at the foot, who scramble for thehopping eggs and hurry panting to the top to start them down again.And as the sport warms, those on top who have rolled all the eggsthey brought finally roll themselves, shrieking with laughter. Now

comes a swirl of curls, ribbons and furbelows, somebody's daintymaid indifferent to the bumps and grass stains. A set of boys whostarted in a line of six with joined hands are trying to come down insomersaults without breaking the chain...

The children of Washington apparently caused such a ruckus on theCapitol grounds in 1876 that Congress passed the Turf Protection Law toprohibit the area from being used as a playground in future years. Theevent was rained out in 1877, but in 1878 the children were alerted by a


19/28

small notice in the local newspaper informing them that the egg rollerswould not be allowed at the Capitol that year.

Two versions of the story follow: Either the angry rollers rushed to thegates of the White House and demanded that they be let in to roll their

eggs on the President's lawn or President Rutherford B. Hayes, alerted tothe plight of the children, opened the gates to the South Lawn andwelcomed all the rollers to his end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Either way,

the first White House Easter Egg Roll was held in 1878.

John Phillip Sousa and "The President's Own" Marine Band performed forthe assembled crowd, while vendors of all kinds sold their goods in 1889.Forty years later, Lou Hoover, wife of President Herbert Hoover, institutedfolk and maypole dances to complement the egg-rolling but, perhaps

because of the combination of stomping feet and boiled eggs, thepractices were not continued for long.

At her first Egg Roll in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt

greeted visitors and listeners alike for the first

time over the radio, on a nationwide hookup. She also

introduced more organized games, but it was not until

1974 when the most famous event of modern Easter

Egg Rolls, the egg-rolling race, was introduced with

spoons borrowed from the White House kitchen.

Subsequent celebrations included a circus and pettingzoo in 1977 and exhibits of antique cars, Broadwayshows and giant balloons in 1981. Egg hunt pits wereintroduced in 1981. Children would search straw pitsfor autographed wooden eggs.

Among the most eagerly anticipated guests each year, of course, is the

Easter Bunny. The White House Easter Bunny, usually a White Housestaffer dressed in a special White House rabbit suit, was introduced by PatNixon, wife of President Richard Nixon, in 1969. Strict guidelines prohibitthe bunny from being seen without his costume head, but the identity of thestaffer inside is revealed every once in a while. Perhaps the most famousbunny of all was the wife of President Reagan's Attorney General EdwinMeese III. Ursula Meese so enjoyed the role that she performed for sixseasons, earning her the nickname "the Meester Bunny."


20/28

On occasion, the Easter Egg Roll has been cancelled, either due toinclement weather or in times of war. At these times, it is sometimesrelocated to another Washington site, such as the National Zoo or evenback to the Capitol. The longest hiatus was for World War II, followed by aWhite House renovation. When President Eisenhower reintroduced the Egg

Roll in 1953, a whole generation of children had never experienced thistreasured tradition.

Easter Rabbit

Since ancient times, pagans have worshipped rabbits as sex and fertilitygods, and have looked upon them as symbols of lust, sexual vigor andreproduction. In the traditions of Egypt and Persia there are such rabbitgods and they were particularly honored in theSpringtime.

In that pagan story, there was a great birdwho intensely desired to be a rabbit. TheGoddess Oestre (Estre) (who was worshipedat that time in the form of a rabbit) graciouslyturned the bird into a rabbit, and in gratitudethe rabbit. This bird/rabbit could still rememberhow to lay bird eggs and came each Spring,during the Festival of Oestre (Estre), layingbeautiful eggs for the benevolent goddess,

who then distributed them to the children. The German immigrants broughtthe symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by otherChristians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was notwidely celebrated in America until after that time. This is exactly how we gotan egg-laying rabbit god in our Easter tradition. In some places, people stillcontinue the German custom of burning Easter-eve fires. The children aretold that the Easter bunny is burning wild flowers to make his dyes.


21/28

Easter Parades

After their baptisms, early Christians wore white robes all through Easterweek to indicate their new lives.Those had already beenbaptized wore new clothes

instead to symbolize theirsharing a new life with Christ.

In Medieval Europe,

churchgoers would take a walk

after Easter Mass, led by a

crucifix of the Easter candle.

Today these walks endure as

Easter Parades. People show

off their spring finery, includinglovely bonnets decorated forspring.

Pretzels(the most popular version of their history)

Pretzels had their beginning around 610 A.D. somewhere in SouthernFrance or Northern Italy. A young monk was

preparing unleavened bread for Lent, the Christianperiod of fasting and penitence before Easter.Christians of the day prayed with their arms foldedacross their chests, each hand on the oppositeshoulder. It occurred to him that he could twist theleftover dough from the bread into this shape anduse it as a treat for the children to recite their

prayers. He named his creation 'pretiola,' Latin for 'little reward.' In thecenturies following, the pretzel made its way into history books andEuropean culture. The pretzel's form became a symbol of good luck, longlife and prosperity.


22/28

Historians believe, although cannot authenticate, that the pretzel came toAmerica by way of the Mayflower in 1620. There are stories of early settlersselling the treat to Indians, who would pay any price for them.

The hard pretzel had its beginnings in Pennsylvania. One story tells of abaker's apprentice who dozed off while baking soft pretzels. The fire in thehearth died down and he awoke with a start, thinking that the pretzels hadnot been baked long enough. He fired up the furnace again, baking themtwice as long as necessary. When the master baker found out, he wasoutraged at the "ruined" pretzels. Then, out of curiosity he tasted them.Fortunately, the employer liked the nutty flavor of the hard pretzel andspared the young man's head.

In 1440 a page in the prayer book used by Catharine of Cleves depicted St.Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels. They were thought to bring good

luck, prosperity and spiritual wholeness. A decade later in 1450, Germansate pretzels and hard-boiled eggs for dinner on Good Friday the day offasting. The large, puffy pretzel symbolized everlasting life, and the twohard-boiled eggs, nestled in each of the large round curves of the pretzel,represented Easter's rebirth.

Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday

The day before Lent in the British Isles is called Shrove Tuesday meaningConfession Tuesday. Sins are forgiven. A flat bread made of wheat flour,

eggs, spice, and water called a pancake is eaten.Pancake races are held where women must runacross a course with a frying pan, throwingpancakes into the air and catching them in the pana specified number of times. A pancake bell isrung to kick off the event. The custom is over 400years old. A satire describing pancake parties of1622 featured: Protector of the Pancakes, First Founder of the Fritters,Baron of Bacon-flitch and the Earl of Egg-baskets.

S-o-o-o, since the pagan Festival of Oestre (Estre) coincided each springwith the time of Passover, it isn't difficult to see how these pagan beliefsand customs eased into the life of The Church and replaced the Passoverand came to be associated with Easter.


23/28

Traditions Around the World

America: Children look for eggs and candy left for them by the EasterBunny.

America: Easter Flowers Women wear orchid corsages. Easter Lilies arealso flown in from the Caribbean.

Germany The Easter Bunny is the Easter Hare (Oster Haas), in Panamahe is the conejo. The Easter hare leaves dyed eggs and eggs of chocolateand sugar that are decorated with pink and yellow frosting roses. Eggrolling is done.

Bethlehem, Pa : Trombone Choir

A trombone choir of the Moravian Church plays hymns throughout the citybefore dawn on Easter Sunday to call church members to a sunrise servicein the old Moravian cemetery. At the cemetery, the trombones play a joyfulchorus as the sun appears on the horizon.

Bermuda Lilies were a symbol of purity for early Christians. The whitetrumpet lily, known in the United States as "Easter Lilies," were broughtfrom Bermuda around 1900. The trumpet lily blooms in the spring andrapidly became a popular for Easter decorations.

British Isles: Hot Cross Buns Spicy buns with raisins were first baked inEngland to be served on Good Friday. The buns have a cross of icing onthe top. Some people have suggested the connection to the ancientsacramental cakes. Other sources say that they are not a truly Christiantradition, even though there is a "x" or Cross on the bun, stating "Althoughthey are generally only served during the Lenten season, they are probablythe outgrowth of the ancient pagan sacramental cakes eaten byAnglo-Saxons in honor of their goddess "Eastore."

British Isles, USA: Easter Hats and Gloves Women may wear a new haton Easter. If a man gives gloves, it is a proposal of marriage. Parades areheld after Easter services. People walk in their new clothes.

Czechoslovakia, Poland: Easter Cake, Bread, Lamb Coffee bread iseaten. Greece and Portugal: A flatbread is eaten marked with a cross.Syria and Jordan: Honey pastries are made. Italy, Greece, and Middle


24/28

East: Lamb is eaten on Easter.

European countries: Lamb The lamb is a particularly important Eastersymbol in central and eastern European countries. It represents Jesus andrelates His death to that of the lamb sacrificed on the first Passover.

Christians traditionally refer to Jesus as "the Lamb of God." Many peopleserve lamb as part of the Easter feast. In many homes, a lamb-shapedcake decorates the table. Many Eastern Orthodox Christians hang picturesof the Easter lamb in their homes.

France: Mid-Lent (Mi-Carme) In Paris the fourth Sunday of Lent iscelebrated by the fte of the blanchisseuses- laundresses. They select aQueen of Queens who elects a king to sit beside her as she rides throughthe streets on a float. Then come the district queens, each with her ownbrilliant retinue of courtiers and ladies-in-waiting. In the evening they attend

a ball.

France: Mardi Gras Originally a French term that means Fat Tuesday. Itrefers to the fat ox that traditionally led a procession on Shrove Tuesday inFrance. In Paris butchers observe Carnival with the fte of the Boeuf Grasor Fat Ox. An ox decked with garlands, flowers, ribbons and festoons ofgreen, is led through the streets in procession. The beast is followed by atriumphal cart bearing a little boy known as the King of the Butchers. The

crowd pays tribute to the small king by blowing horns and throwing confetti,flowers and sweets. There are parades and balls. Festivities end atmidnight.

Germany: Bonfires, Fireworks, Candle on Easter Eve young people dancearound bonfires. They sing Easter songs, leap over the bonfire, set largestraw wheels on fire and roll them down the hillside. The flaming wheel is asymbol of the sun. Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America: Fireworks arelighted on Easter Saturday. Ireland& Scotland: On Easter Eve a white

candle is lighted and the ceremony is called striking the new fire.

Germany: Easter (Ostern) Rabbit gardens are made ready for the Easterhare. He brings dyed hens eggs of purple, green, and yellow and chocolatediorama eggs. Other goodies are pink and blue satin eggs with sweets,perfume, or tiny lace trimmed handkerchiefs inside. Egg duels called EierSpacken or Eier-Doppen are popular. On Easter morning egg rolling is


25/28

done by children. Spring water and dew is gathered in the early morning ofEaster by young women to make them beautiful throughout the year

Germany: Fast Night (Fastnacht) The day before Lent in Germany is

celebrated with masquerades, carnivals, and ceremonials. Prince Carnivalpresides over a Fools Court surrounded by councilors wearing highpeaked hats and a badge of the Order of the Fools. Part of the Lord ofMisrule.

Germany: Green Thursday (Grndonnerstag) Holy or Maundy Thursday.Anyone refusing to eat green salad is in danger of becoming a donkey,according to Saxon tradition. To be on the safe side children may eat anentire green vegetable dinner on this day.

Holland: Green Wreath Country children make green wreaths on PalmSunday and carry them from house to house begging for eggs.

Ireland: Black Fast People will fast until noon on Good Friday. It iscustomary to take only three sips of water and three bites of bread tosymbolize the trinity. Work is stopped. Hair is loosened or cut to symbolizemourning. Bia tragha: Shorefood of shellfish and seaweed is gathered andeaten. Holy wells may be visited and the water has curative powers.

Ireland, Scotland: Egg Rolling (a' Chisg) In gaelic Easter is called aChisg. Eggs are taken and rolled down the side of a hill. The first egg thatlands at the bottom is the winner.

Ireland: Cake Dance (Pruthg) On Easter a large dancing contest called apruthg was held and the prize was a cake. The best boy and girl dancerwould take down the cake and divide it among the people. The phrase thattakes the cake comes from the dancing festival. In America a cake walkmay be held during spring festivals. A circle of colored squares is createdand one square has a picture of a cake. People step in time to the musicand when the music shuts off, the person whose foot is on the cake picturewins a cake. Contests of skill or drawings may be given with cakes asprizes.

Latvia Latvians play an Easter egg game in which each person takes ahard boiled, colored egg. Players make pairs and then tap the ends of theireggs together. First the wide ends of the two eggs are tapped together,


26/28

then the narrow ends, and finally one wide and one narrow end. When aplayer's egg breaks, he or she leaves the game, which continues until oneplayer is left with an unbroken egg.

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) The day before Lent and the last day of a three

day festival called Carnival in Europe, France, United States, and LatinAmerica. In Nice, Cannes, Menton and Grasse people go out into thestreets in costume, toot tin horns, sing, and pelt passers-by with confettiand flowers. Each town has its own Bastille de fleurs: battle of flowerswhere cars and floats drive for hours along the streets. An effigy of KingCarnival surrounded by a train of clowns and buffoons is formally presentedthe keys to the city of Nice. On Mardi Gras night he is burned at the stakeafter a torchlight procession.

Mexico The passion play in the town of Iztapalapa, near Mexico City, is

one of the most famous Easter events in Mexico, drawing one millionvisitors each year. Following a devastating cholera epidemic in the winter of1833, the handful of survivors decided to hold the play to give thanks. Theproductions have become increasingly more elaborate. Everyone in townparticipates, but leading roles are awarded to those meeting strict heightand appearance requirements, and of undisputed good character.

NorwayIn Norway, reading detective novels and crime thrillers has become a

popular Easter pastime. Paaskekrim (Easter crime) refers to the new crimenovels available at Easter. The period from Holy Thursday through EastMonday is a public holiday, and many Norwegians take vacations to themountains, or to the coast at this time. According to folklore professors atthe Institute for Cultural Studies at the University of Oslo, the tradition ofreading about crime at Easter may stem from the violent nature of Christ'sdeath.

SwedenIn Sweden, witches were thought to fly their broomsticks to church belltowers on Easter Eve. Especially in western Sweden, children often dressup as hags and visit neighbors, often with an Easter card, hoping for a coinor a piece of candy in return.

Sweden: Easter Witches: Children dress up like witches and put Eastergreetings into the mailboxes of their friends. Firecrackers are set off toscare away real witches.


27/28

South America and the Caribbean: Carnival or Canboulay Carnival is anoutdoor festival party held in South America and the Caribbean for threedays before Lent. There are parades with large floats, costumes, music,parties, food, alcohol, and dancing. In Trinidad, originally called Iere - Landof the Hummingbird before Columbus destroyed the Arawaks and Carribs,

the midnight opening of carnival is called Canboulay after the Frenchphrase cannes brules; which is the burning of the sugar cane. Duringslavery Carnival was restricted to white upper class and freedmen calledmaroons. By 1838, the aristocracy had lost control, and former slavesflocked to the streets and Africanized the festival. Today thousands ofpeople and tourists visit Carnival. Popular African origin carnival dancesare: the Tango (Argentina), Rumba (Cuba), Biguine (Martinique), Samba(Brazil), and Calypso (Trinidad). Calypso music uses steel pan drums[drums were outlawed by the British] and is sung in the French-Creolelanguage called patois. Soca is a hybrid of calypso and electric guitar.There is a Calypso Queen and a Soca Monarch for the masquerade whichis called mas. Popular costumes are: insects, birds, bloodsuckers, ghosts,outer space themes, folklore and shape shifters.

Wales: Round Dance Young men and women dance and sing around theoldest oak in the village on Easter. This is called a round dance. It isdangerous to enter a grove of oaks at midnight, for the spirits of the pastassembled there. haunted oaks

Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine: Egg Decorating: Pysanki(Written Eggs) (pron. PEE-sank-ee) Decorated eggs made with a batikmethod using beeswax. An XV is put on the egg standing for Christ is risen.Baskets of eggs are blessed at church on Easter Saturday.

Bibliography/References:A Christian Perspective: Easter Lent -Click to link

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church> A User-Friendly Reference forEpiscopalians - Don S. Armentroput, Robert Boeek Slocum, editorsPublished by Church Publishing Co., New York. A note on lent -Click tolink

Beginning of Lent - Christian History, The Benson's Commentary by Rev.Joseph Benson Published by George Lane and Levi Scott-JosephLongking, Publisher (1849) -Click to link

Catholic Digest Online - The Catholic Encyclopedia-Copyright 1907 by
http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://www.theholidayspot.com/ash_wednesday/lentnote.htmhttp://www.theholidayspot.com/ash_wednesday/lentnote.htmhttp://www.theholidayspot.com/ash_wednesday/lentnote.htmhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e71952http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e71952http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e71952http://www.theholidayspot.com/ash_wednesday/lentnote.htmhttp://www.theholidayspot.com/ash_wednesday/lentnote.htmhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20History


28/28

Robert Appleton Company - Online Edition Copyright 2002 by KevinKnight Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York ChristineOkeeffes Easter History -Click for link

Holy Bible -Revised Standard Version and the King James VersionIllustrated Dictionary of the Saints by John McNeil Published by CrescentBooks

New Dictionary for Episcopalians The Rev. John N. Walt Published byHarper San Francisco

Society Religion and Spirituality -Click to link

Snyder's of Hanover -Click to link

Tudor Book of Saints and Martyrs by Helen C. White Published by TheUniversity of Wisconsin Press (1963)

Timetables of History, The, by Bernard Grun based upon Werner Stein'sKulturfalirplan
http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e%2071952http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e%2071952http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e%2071952http://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://www.snydersofhanover.com/Pages/Other/History_pretzels.htmlhttp://www.snydersofhanover.com/Pages/Other/History_pretzels.htmlhttp://www.snydersofhanover.com/Pages/Other/History_pretzels.htmlhttp://www.snydersofhanover.com/Pages/Other/History_pretzels.htmlhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?knf=1&query=Lent%20Historyhttp://aolsearch.aol.com/dirsearch.adp?query=Lent%20History&first=11&l%20ast=25&next=item&cat=0&layer=0&catstring=14%2e373%2e28453%2e2%208677%2e%2071952

021810the history of lent and easter

Documents