Easter

Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the oldest Christian festival and should not see death as the end but as the new beginning of a life.

You are definitely looking forward to looking for Easter eggs! Maybe you have already blown out eggs and painted them brightly! But where does this custom come from and why does a rabbit bring the eggs?

Easter is based on the Jewish Passover and the phases of the moon. Therefore, the festival is not celebrated on a specific date, but always takes place between March 22 and April 25.

Where does the term "Easter" come from??

The origin of the term is not exactly clear. For example, the term could be derived from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess “Eostre”. Another possible explanation is that the name comes from the pagan Ostara festival. Ostara is the name of the "goddess of fertility" from the Old Germanic. Most likely, however, is that the name "Easter" comes from the term "Eostro", which dates back to the 8th century and means "dawn".

Why does the rabbit bring the eggs?

This custom should also be traced back to the goddesses existing in the religion at that time. The Greek goddess of fertility Aphrodite, as well as the Germanic earth goddess Holda both had the hare as their sign. In addition to the rabbit, Holda even counted the egg among her symbols. Both the rabbit and the egg stand for fertility and symbols for spring and Easter.

However, the rabbit has not had the task of being the sole "egg bringer" for so long. The fox used to bring eggs in Westphalia, the cuckoo in Switzerland, the rooster in Schleswig-Holstein, Upper Bavaria and Austria and the stork in Thuringia.

The colorful Easter eggs

Since the Christians were not allowed to eat eggs during Holy Week, there was an excess of eggs during this time, because the chickens continued to lay their eggs diligently. So that the many eggs did not rot, they were boiled and colorfully painted during Holy Week to distinguish them from the raw eggs.

The Easter Lamb

The lamb was formerly sacrificed on religious occasions because it symbolizes defenselessness and innocence. The term "innocent lamb" is still used today. The lamb was slaughtered at Easter and the meat was consecrated. The consecrated flesh was then eaten by the Christians to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Holy Week

The Passion Week or Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, the last Sunday before Easter. That day Jesus wanted to visit his friends in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover. People strewed palm branches on the ground in his honor. Even today, many flats and houses are adorned with such branches of palm kittens.

Holy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday, Christianity celebrates the last supper that Jesus spent with his twelve disciples. You have probably already seen the famous picture of Leonardo da Vinci, which represents this scene.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the highest evangelical holiday. The name is made up of the old German word "chara", which means grief, and our weekday "Friday". On this day, Christians commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. Among other things, grief is expressed by strict fasting. It is a day of contemplation, silence and is also called "Stiller" or "High Friday". There is no organ playing in the church until Easter. In Germany there are public festivals and e.g. Sports events prohibited on that day.

Holy Saturday / Easter Vigil

Holy Saturday is the last day of Lent’s 40-day period. The Easter fire is traditionally lit on Easter night before Easter Sunday. Church services are held in the churches where the Easter candle is lit. The light is considered a symbol for Jesus Christ.

Easter Sunday

Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring. The children look forward to looking for the Easter eggs on this day.

Easter ends after 50 days at Pentecost.

Here you can print out funny invitation cards and gift tags for Easter:

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