Easter is this coming Sunday, and although most people know that Holy Week started last Sunday, Palm Sunday, there are probably a lot of you that don’t know some of the interesting facts that Knoxweb is going to share.
Coloring eggs is nothing new with the humble egg being a symbol for creation, fertility, and rebirth. The ancient Egyptians and Persians would exchange colored eggs to welcome spring. The Romans and Greeks soon adopted the ancient custom enlarging the palette of colors as the Persians and Egyptians always exchanged red eggs. Because eggs were off limits in Medieval Europe during lent, eggs were quite popular once Easter rolled around. Eggs used to be dyed using natural dyes made from herbs and plants. Red onionskin will give an egg a light violet hue while carrots would produce eggs that were yellow. Cherry juice will give you red eggs. The word for egg coloring in Russia is Pysanka.
The Egyptians used the rabbit to symbolize the moon, which is what is used to determine what day Easter falls on. The rabbit was also a totemic animal that represented Eostre, the goddess of fertility. However, the humble Easter Bunny seems to have started in Germany as a springtime Santa Claus who delivered Easter goodies to the children. Known as Osterhase, German children would welcome Osterhas by building a nest for the eggs to be left in. That nest became the modern Easter basket.
Believe it or not, Easter eggs used to be birth certificates during the 19th century because families couldn’t get to a town hall. Birth certificates had to be filed at the town hall and if the family couldn’t get there, an egg was used as identification for the new baby. The egg was inscribed and dyed with the birth date and the person’s name. This practice was accepted by the authorities and the courts and was completely legal.
In England, windows and doors are opened Easter Sunday. The custom is meant to drive out any evil spirits inside the home using sunlight. If it is raining on Easter, according to folklore, the rain will continue every Sunday for seven weeks.
The very first Easter sunrise service was held back in 1773 so that the Moravians, a church that holds its roots in the Czech Republic, could watch the suns first rays as a congregation. Taking place in Winston-Salem, North Caroline, the service celebrates the empty tomb that Mary saw on the break of dawn. Since that time celebrations are held all over the world and in the United States at scenic venues that include the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles California.
If you crack open an egg on Easter and find a double yolk it means good luck. Get up early and swim in a cold stream and your pain from rheumatism will go away. Lore says that if you get up early on resurrection day, you will be greeted with the sun dancing for joy.
This Easter Sunday as you gather with friends and family, take time to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the real reason that the religious holiday is celebrated.
Happy Easter everyone!
