Around April every year, three of the most important celebrations take place in many parts of the world. These three celebrations are part of religious ceremonies that started over 3,000 years ago.
Lent is observed by Christians the world over for 40 days prior to Easter. During this time, people give up something they really love. Usually this is something they like to eat or drink. Only on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, can they have that special thing they gave up. Lent is to serve as a reminder of the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness. Some countries celebrate the beginning of Lent with Carnival like in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.
Holy Week is held in the last week of Lent and the start of this week is celebrated on Palm Sunday. This celebrates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Children love to receive crosses made out of palm leaves.
Passover: Jesus was born to Jewish parents, and many of the early Christians were Jewish and raised in the Hebrew tradition. They regarded Easter as an addition to the Passover festival. The Passover celebrates the safe flight of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, led by Moses.
Easter was called Pesach by early Christians. It is the Hebrew name for Passover. Today, the name for Easter in many cultures in Europe is similar to the word Pesach: France – Paques, Holland – Pasen, Spain – Pascua, Italy – Pasqua, Greece – Pascha. The English name “Easter” is much newer. It came about when early Christians celebrated spring and wore white clothes for the celebrations. Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s rising from the dead (His Resurrection) after His crucifixion which took place on what we now term Good Friday. On Good Friday a lot of people eat no meat, only fish.
Easter eggs
As Christianity spread, some of the oldest symbols of Spring were used to celebrate Easter. One of the oldest Spring symbols in the world is the egg. It is oval in shape like a raindrop or a seed. In ancient China, Rome and Greece, eggs were given as springtime gifts. In early America, children decorated their eggs by using dyes made from natural materials like fruit and leaves.
