EASTER

DATE: Mach / April

Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25, according to the Gregorian calendar used by the western Christian churches (Roman Catholic and Protestant). Many eastern Christian churches (Orthodox), however, use the Julian calendar (which has a 13-day difference in relation to the Gregorian calendar).

It begins on Friday, when Jesus Christ was crucified, and ends on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, considered the most important date in the Christian year. The following day, Easter Monday, is also a holiday in many countries with Christian traditions. People usually spend this holiday with their families or have a short vacation.

Traditions include: sending Easter cards with religious symbols like birds, small chickens, baby sheep, and flowers, which are related to spring (in the Northern Hemisphere), and decorating the shells of real eggs. In some places, these eggs are used in an event called egg-rolling, in which people take the decorated eggs to the top of a hill and have them roll down; the first egg to get to the foot of the hill is the winner. Another tradition is to create and/or decorate hats that are called Easter bonnets and wear them at parades or just for fun.

The Easter Egg Hunt

One of the things that make Easter more special is the Easter Egg Hunt, which is usually played on Saturday before Easter or, more often, on Easter morning.

Folklore suggests that Easter Egg Hunts arose in Europe during the “Burning Times” when the rise of Christianity led to the persecution of the followers of the “Old Religion” (from which Easter derived, celebrated in ancient pagan spring festivals). Instead of giving the eggs as gifts, adults made a game of hiding them and encouraging children to find the eggs. The authorities, trying to find the “pagans”, would follow the children to reveal where they found the eggs so that the property owners could be brought to justice. However, there are other stories and no official records.

Thank the Germans for this tradition, which was brought to the USA by immigrants in the later 19th century.

Nowadays, an Easter Egg Hunt is a common festivity in which eggs are hidden outdoors or even indoors so that children can run around and find them. Younger children believe that the Easter Bunny hides the eggs while they were asleep. In a politically correct age, Easter eggs with beeping sounds have been invented so that children with visual impairment can also take part in egg hunts.

It can be a fun time to celebrate the renewal of life, no matter what religious beliefs you may have.