you all have 8 months to answer this one ha ha
2006-09-20 05:05:48 · 21 answers · asked by dream theatre 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Easter
Hello. -
:.º.:History:.º.:
Decorated eggs are much older than Easter, and both eggs and rabbits are age-old fertility symbols. The Passover Seder service uses a hard-cooked egg flavored with salt water as a symbol both of new life and the Temple service in Jerusalem. The Jewish tradition may have come from earlier Roman Spring feasts.
Easter egg origin stories abound—one has an emperor claiming that the Resurrection was as likely as eggs turning red (see Mary Magdalene); more prosaically the Easter egg tradition may have celebrated the end of the privations of Lent. In the West, eggs were seen as "meat", which would have been forbidden during Lent.
Likewise, in Eastern Christianity, both meat and dairy are prohibited during the fast, and eggs are seen as "dairy" (a foodstuff that could be taken from an animal without shedding its blood). Another Orthodox tradition is the presenting of red colored eggs to friends while giving Easter greetings.
This custom had its beginning with Mary Magdalene. After the Ascension of Christ, she went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ is risen", as she gave him a red egg. She then began preaching Christianity to him. The egg is symbolic of the grave and life renewed by breaking out of it.
The red symbolizes the blood of Christ redeeming the world, represented by the egg, and our regeneration through the bloodshed for us by Christ. The egg itself is a symbol of the Resurrection while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.
One would have been forced to hard boil the eggs that the chickens produced so as not to waste food, and for this reason the Spanish dish hornazo (traditionally eaten on and around Easter) contains hard-boiled eggs as a primary ingredient.
In the North of England, at Eastertime, a traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other players egg with their own. This is known as "egg dumping" or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. It is also practiced in Bulgaria and other countries.
Have a nice day. :)
2006-09-24 02:02:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Easter is another Pagan festival pinched by the Christians. It was a celebration of life returning after the Winter and what better symbol than an egg? A sticky mess that turns into a chick.
Chocolate eggs avoid the sticky mess.
RoyS
2006-09-20 12:20:06 · answer #2 · answered by Roy S 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Modern Easter is derived from a much older pagan holiday called Ostara, which is linked with the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre.
Her name has many possible meanings, with the most popular being 'estrus', or the menstrual cycle, indicating her role as fertility goddess. Another meaning of her name is 'dawn' and 'illuminate' from the Old Teutonic, showing her to be a goddess of new beginnings such as springtime and new life. Another lesser known meaning is from the Greek oistros, meaning a frenzy.
Her festival is commonly thought to be the Spring Equinox, but is in fact the new moon closest to the equinox. Of course, the Spring Equinox is strongly considered to be a fertility holiday. Even outside the holiday, in nature, there is new life everywhere. One of the oldest symbols of fertility is the egg. In fact, the egg *is* fertility in the truest sense. It becomes apparent how ancient peoples of the British Isles and greater Europe would choose it as the symbol for all that Spring embodies.
2006-09-21 11:07:38 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because Easter was originally a pagan holiday revolving around renewal and rebirth as well as fertility and the egg and hare were representative of that. It has sinse been supplanted by the Christian Easter that makes reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, the pagan influence still remains in the mainstream celebration of the holiday.
2006-09-20 12:11:08 · answer #4 · answered by PaganPoetess 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Easter is derived from the Pagan holiday Ostara. Ostara is the beginning of spring and fertility. The rabbit and the egg are symbols of fertility. When Christians adopted the holiday, they took the imagery too.
2006-09-20 13:28:03 · answer #5 · answered by Mrs. Pears 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Secular commercialism found a way to distract people from the real meaning of Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The eggs represent the newness of spring.
2006-09-20 12:09:36 · answer #6 · answered by Robert L 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because it would be silly to have Easter Eggs at Thanksgiving.
2006-09-20 12:14:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
because it would be silly to have them at Christmas!! Think it's something to do with Christ being reborn and an egg signifying the beginning of a new life. My goodness, I did learn something in RE! Thank goodness they chose a chicken's egg and not a human embryo, could have been quite gross, more like Halloween!! x
2006-09-20 12:14:27 · answer #8 · answered by Oldfruit 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because if we had them at any other time of year they wouldn't be easter eggs.
2006-09-20 12:22:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Like many Christian festivals, it is a combination of Christian and Pagan beliefs and celebrations. Celts in Europe celebrated birth and new life in spring as plants and trees regained their leaves and many animals gave birth only at this time of year - such as hens. You can see why Christians chose to tie Jesus coming back from the dead with this particular celebration.
It's also a big commercial opportunity.
2006-09-20 12:17:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋