http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/holiday-cheat-sheet-easter/
Christians are the only major
religious people to have a symbol of death represent them. Comments on
the holiday? What it means to you and/or what you think it means to
others? Questions you have?
Having grown up in the Northern
hemisphere, I've always associated Easter with new life, but I was
reminded by someone that Eastertime occurs during fall in the southern
hemisphere. What do you think about that?
I am a Christian and Easter is a special time for me. It symbolizes that Jesus paid for my sin and all sin of mankind in his death. The resurrection of Jesus, which Easter celebrates, is a foundation of the Christian faith. The resurrection established Jesus as the powerful Son of God and is proof that God will judge the world in righteousness. God has given Christians "a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". Christians, through faith in the working of God are spiritually resurrected with Jesus so that they may walk in a new way of life.
ReplyDeleteOthers may have a similar or different meaning based off the scripture or doctrine they read from. Easter is linked to the Passover and Exodus from Egypt recorded in the Old Testament through the Last Supper and crucifixion that preceded the resurrection. According to the New Testament, Jesus gave the Passover meal a new meaning, as he prepared himself and his disciples for his death during the Last Supper. He identified a cup of wine as his body soon to be sacrificed and his blood soon to be shed. Those who are not currently practicing a faith may not think anything of it besides a day that you get candy, have Easter egg hunts and should go to church. Just as Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus most just know you get presents and eat a large meal with the family. The true meaning of these two holidays are not about us and what we do it is about the higher power we serve and how we are serving God. I do believe that whether or not you practice a particular faith, most of the people understand that there is a religious connotation to the holiday.
South of the equator the seasons may be different and that could be an explanation as to why Easter is held in the fall such like in Australia. It still falls on the same day but in different parts of the world this is fall not spring. This may or may not be true but just an idea.
ReplyDeleteI think most Christians would agree with you that Easter represents resurrection and new life. In a way, I think it reminds Christians of the very basis for their belief system. Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected so that we may also live eternally in Heaven. This was the ultimate sacrifice. Using Jesus as an example, I think that we, too, should think about sacrifices that we can make for our loved ones and reflect on our behaviors since Easter the year before. All humans have a tendency to be selfish, and Easter is a great time to reflect on this and make changes where changes are due.
ReplyDeleteThe holiday is two-fold, because the death of Jesus is both a solemn ordeal and selfless sacrifice in love. If you have ever been to an Easter mass in a Catholic church, you would see that everything is brightly colored and there are flowers and candles everywhere because it is a happy occasion. I think people tend to focus more on the crucifixion facet of the Easter season, because it is probably the most difficult part of the faith to relate to, and don't realize that Jesus' death was a necessary step to save us from sin and to defeat death in resurrection. People outside of the faith don't regard this much but they do keep the bright color patterns and associate them with Spring, so I would expect this to be interpreted differently south of the equator due to it being Fall. Easter still falls in April, but it's getting colder instead of warmer. .
ReplyDeleteLike Mallory said, I think that Easter is often used as a foundation that one uses in order to build their faith. For myself, I love Easter because it helps me reflect on what I do believe and how I act on that in my life. I'm not a religious person, but my spirituality is definitely rooted in the Easter season and it's meaning. Like most in the Northern Hemisphere, I associate Easter with new life and everything spring and quite honestly, I never really thought about the seasons of Easter differing in different parts of the world. If they use the seasons in association of the holiday like many of us do, I imagine that they focus more on Jesus's death rather than His resurrection the saving action.
ReplyDeleteThe Easter season marks the end of lent; it is a time for celebration. It gives Christians hope that we too will rise again at the end of time. Not only is it a time to spend with family and friends, but it is also a time to go to mass and pray. Easter is the answer to how Christians can be saved by Jesus Christ. With Easter occurring in the Spring time when flowers are blooming, baby animals are born, and the weather is getting warmer, we feel the connection of Easter to new life; if Easter was in the fall I wouldn't feel as hopeful. Fall is a time when the leaves turn brown, plants die. That could relate to Jesus' death on the cross though. Those are just some of my thoughts on that. I cannot wait for Easter and I hope everyone has a great one!
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe in Easter or Catholicism anymore but was raised catholic in catholic school. I’ve always had to celebrate this holiday. I’ve been forced to do the whole bunny thing and Easter baskets. Perform Stations of the Cross in grade school and what have you. It is interesting to think of this as a holiday of death because even though we always covered the death of Christ and the crucifixion etc. it seems we always shifted more to the aspect of rebirth. I feel that is what God would want; for us to focus on his sacrifice for us. And the second chance that Christ’s rebirth meant for us all.
ReplyDeleteI could not imagine having Easter in Fall.
Throughout school, teacher’s always connected Easter and Spring. It was almost as if Christ’s death and rebirth brought about Spring and all the new life. If Easter was in fall that would pretty much crush everything I was Taught about the holiday. Where is all the rebirth and beautiful blooming life if everything around us is going brown and dying? The teachers would have to come up with some other nonsensical way of explaining the seasons to us.
I don’t believe in Easter or Catholicism anymore but was raised catholic in catholic school. I’ve always had to celebrate this holiday. I’ve been forced to do the whole bunny thing and Easter baskets. Perform Stations of the Cross in grade school and what have you. It is interesting to think of this as a holiday of death because even though we always covered the death of Christ and the crucifixion etc. it seems we always shifted more to the aspect of rebirth. I feel that is what God would want; for us to focus on his sacrifice for us. And the second chance that Christ’s rebirth meant for us all.
ReplyDeleteI could not imagine having Easter in Fall.
Throughout school, teacher’s always connected Easter and Spring. It was almost as if Christ’s death and rebirth brought about Spring and all the new life. If Easter was in fall that would pretty much crush everything I was Taught about the holiday. Where is all the rebirth and beautiful blooming life if everything around us is going brown and dying? The teachers would have to come up with some other nonsensical way of explaining the seasons to us.
For me Good Friday and Easter is a time to celebrate life, however the reason isn't totally religious. I was raised to be religious and understand the holiday as a time Jesus rose again, but past events have given my family even more reason to celebrate it as such. In the late 1990's my sister's appendix ruptured in her body and she went into a coma on Good Friday. Weirdly enough, Easter morning she awoke from her coma, which she still talks about to this day as the Easter Bunny was at the hospital giving out presents and he gave her an alarm clock a few minutes after she woke up. This event only reminded us how important it is to celebrate the life we have been given as we are simply lucky to be alive.
ReplyDeleteI too feel that Easter is a time which represents new life as well as new beginnings. Because Easter does occur in the Spring where we live, I associate this holiday with warmer weather and sprouting flowers, a time in which I feel particularly happy. It never occurred to me to think that Easter occurs during the fall in other areas. Because fall does come with the dying of leaves and plants for the winter, I guess if one associated Easter with the time of the year in regards to new life this would be somewhat difficult. I would be interested in seeing how these people of the southern hemisphere view Easter, despite their holiday not occurring in Spring.
ReplyDeleteThe time leading up to Easter is a time of reflection. Knowing days leading up to Jesus dying on the cross for all of humanities sins. Can be overwhelming in a great way, for that fact that GOD loved all of us that he sent his only son to die for all of us. Also that Jesus accepted this as his duty is amazing. Since Easter occurs in the spring, many associate it with life, just as death. Spring is about new life. It's great weather, all the flowers are blooming. It's only fitting that Easter is in spring, after being put in a tomb; on Easter Sunday morning Jesus rose up left the tomb with all power in his hands.I think it would be odd if Easter was in the fall, just because I'm not used to viewing it in that light. If were to be born in southern hemisphere then I probably wouldn't find it odd.
ReplyDeleteI know this is a late post, however, for me my Easter was just this past Sunday. Greek Easter is always a week after the Catholic's celebrate Easter. For my family Easter is a big deal. It is a time of reflection, new life, and a time to be with the church and your family. For us we went to midnight mass, and then the next celebrated by roasting a huge lamb in the back yard. Different from most people, but still just as meaningful.
ReplyDeleteBecause I am catholic, to me Easter is a holiday about Jesus overcoming death to save us all from inevitable hell. We always spend the day first at church, then celebrating with family meals later. Easter still reminds me of new life regardless of which season is occurring based on which hemisphere I'm in. It does enhance the feeling of new life though when watching the season's change during the Easter holiday.
ReplyDeleteFor me Easter is a symbol of life. Growing up as a Catholic, Easter has always been a time of praise to the Lord. It's always been a time to get together with family, eating good food, and socializing about life. It's almost like a spring version of Thanksgiving, with regards to family coming together. For others in the Southern Hemisphere, I think it would be about the same as our holiday, just a different time of the year.
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