Easter Songs

February 1, 2013 Easter Celebrations No comments

Easter Songs Have Been Sung Ever Since Pagan Times

Even though Easter was originally a Pagan ceremony, it is now a central form of Christian worship and many other Christian festivals are dated according to the reference date of Easter. Easter is a time when churches around the world ring out with Easter songs, though not all Easter customs are Christian. In fact, the Easter songs that date back to ancient times were radiating in their simplicity and were the main source of inspiration for the popular hymns that came about much later.

Early Second Century Songs That Praised The Resurrection

There are Easter songs versions that date back to as early as the second century that praised the Resurrection, and from the fourth century, the magnificent Latin hymns related to Easter were full of praise and were sung at the lighting of the Easter candle. A popular Easter song is known as The Exultet, which is still sung in all Catholic churches during Easter, and though its origins are uncertain, has been attributed to Saint Jerome or to Saint Augustine.

In the eight century, Saint John Damascene was the author of beautiful Greek poems in honor of the Resurrection and these are found in present day liturgical services of the Greek Church and have even been translated into English. A notable Easter song from ancient times is “The Day of Resurrection” that is sung in its original text in Greek at midnight services of the Greek Church.

There are also a great number of wonderful Easter songs that date to the Middle Ages and the German song “Let Us All Be Glad” appeared in a song book in 1568. Apart from the great number of Easter songs that are sung in individual countries, there are also those Easter songs that are sung among all nations of the world. From Chinese Christians to Portuguese to Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s beautiful Faust, there is great variety in the Easter song as sung by these various nationalities.

Perhaps the most famous Easter song of modern times, the ‘Easter Parade’ composed by Irving Berlin is most in demand. Easter parties also call for special Easter songs and music stores are booming with sales of audio cassettes as well as CDs that have many different Easter bunny songs, which are popular among kids. Children love to memorize the words to such songs and even use them to participate in singing competitions held in schools during Easter springtime.

Easter Bunny History

January 20, 2013 History of Easter No comments

It’s Time For Some Easter Bunny History

Easter bunny history is about a fictional rabbit that leaves gifts inside an Easter basket on Easter morning.  This Easter bunny history stems from Western European cultures.  While Easter bunny history is considered to be folklore or mythology, meaning that it is fictional, sometimes it is presented to children as a fact in the same way as Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy are.

All You Need To Know About Easter Bunny History

Easter bunny history stems from pre-Christian fertility lore that has its roots in Germany.  This is because the rabbit is the most fertile animal and so it served as a symbol of the new life that begins during the Spring season.

It is first mentioned in the 1500s, where it was found in some of the German writings of that time.  Therefore, it should not surprise anyone that Germany was also the first place where edible Easter bunnies were made.  In the early 1800s, Germany made these edible bunnies out of a combination of pastry and sugar.

The Easter bunny became a part of American folklore in the 1700s, or the 18th century.  This was when the first German settlers arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country.

These German settlers’ children considered Easter to be their greatest pleasure; next to having Santa visit them on Christmas Eve.  German children believed that if they were good children, then the Easter bunny would lay a nest of colored eggs for them.

From that point on, American children have always looked forward to a visit from the Easter bunny at the beginning of the spring season.  Of course, these children also knew all about the great pastry and sugar combination treat that depicted the Easter bunny for them.

It was also a tradition, at that time, for children to build a nest for the Easter bunny to lay the eggs in for them to find on Easter morning.  These nests were built in a secluded part of the home, barn or garden.  Children would then lay their caps or bonnets down to make the nests in that area.  It was not until later on that the use of elaborate Easter baskets became a part of the Easter tradition.

Another part of the story that is founded in mythology is the eggs.  Bunnies give birth to live babies while birds lay eggs and this is where that idea came from.

Easter Candles

January 12, 2013 Easter Celebrations No comments

The Symbolic Meaning Of Easter Candles

Lighting the Easter candles, more commonly known as the “Paschal candle” is the most solemn moment in the Easter vigil held on the eve of Easter Sunday. During Maundy Thursday of that same week, the church becomes entirely dark after extinguishing all lit candles and lamps. On Black Saturday, a special kind of fire will be lit and blessed to symbolize the resurrection of Christ, whose light sends the darkness away.

From the blessed fire, the Easter candle will be the first to be lit and the one from which other lights obtain fire. The lit Easter candle represents the light of Christ that came into the world. After lighting the sacred candle, the deacon will chant the exultet – the Traditional Roman Catholic hymn intoned during Easter Vigil.

Modern Easter candles display the Greek letters of “alpha and omega” representing the beginning and the end, as well as the year specified at its base. Traditionally, grains of red incense are embedded into the candle to form a cross symbolizing the wounds of Christ in His side, feet and hands. The main material used in making these candles is beeswax, which signifies the sinless Jesus Christ formed in His mother’s womb. The wick symbolizes His humanity, while the flame represents His Divine Nature.

The Lighting Of Easter Candles

During the night of Holy Saturday, the deacon carries the Easter candle in procession throughout the dark church. He then lights up the candle, inscribes a cross, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (alpha and omega) as well as the current year. The deacon then chants the exultet and finally affixes the five red grains of incense.

The Easter candle is the most visible and largest item inside a church during the holy week. It is normally lighted every day during mass all throughout the Paschal season until the Thursday of Ascension.

In Rome, when the candle melts, the wax from the Easter candle is used in making little locket items, known as “Lamb of God” medals. These gold, heart-shaped lockets are embossed with a lamb and cross with a drop of the blessed wax.

For families and other people who cannot attend the Easter Vigil, they can still observe the lighting of the Easter candle by performing the ceremony inside their homes just after dark. However, your own Easter candle should be large enough because it would be lighted every meal for forty consecutive days.

History Of Easter

January 10, 2013 History of Easter No comments

History Of Easter Brings Many Traditions

To many people Easter is a day that ends the 40 days of Lent, and brings with it the return of anything they may have sacrificed throughout the Lenten season. To others it is the beginning of a season of rebirth, re-growth and renewal. There are also different opinions on the history of Easter, however many agree that some traditions remaining a part of the celebration come from Pagan beliefs defining the history of Easter.

Western civilizations celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Jesus Christ and it is one of the only changeable holidays celebrated. Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25, due to the difference in the lunar full moon and the ecclesiastical full moon. It is generally accepted, based on the history of Easter that it will be celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox which occurs on March 21.

It was in the year 325 that it was decided that Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday, the day Jesus was resurrected, which had become the holy day of the week. While originally in the history of Easter, the Quartodecimans followed the Jewish celebration on the 14th day of the month, regardless of which day of the week it fell. It took several centuries to develop a common method of computation before it was accepted throughout Christianity.

Many Traditions Have New Birth Roots

The history of Easter includes many customs such as the Easter rabbit and Easter egg that were born from Pagan history and have nothing to do with the religious history. Rabbits and eggs are symbols of fertility relating to many to the vernal equinox and many of the antique parts of the history of Easter relate to these new beginnings, such as the Christian relationships of the resurrection of Jesus as being a new beginning.

Many in western culture will color eggs on the night before Easter only to have the Easter bunny hide them that night for children to hunt the next day has no bearing on religion and no logical explanation as to why this is done can be found in any ancient culture. It is also left to the imagination as to why the Easter bunny may bring presents in addition to hiding the eggs and leave them is baskets for children. The Easter bunny’s tie to eggs is also unexplained as rabbits bear their young while birds and chickens lay eggs.

Easter Sunday

January 7, 2013 Easter Celebrations No comments

Easter Sunday Marks The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

Easter Sunday marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ and, according to the Bible, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb along with some of Jesus’ disciples only to find Jesus’ body gone and an empty tomb. Jesus then appeared to Mary and his disciples and spoke separately to them for the next forty days. He then departed forever, promising his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to let the disciples know that God would never leave them, and then ascended into heaven.

Easter Sunday is the day that Jesus Christ rose from death and He had told his disciples before his arrest that He would be crucified, and those three days later He would raise from the dead. The third day after Good Friday happened to be Easter Sunday. It has thus become customary for Christians around the world to gather on Easer Sunday for a Sunrise Service that takes place on a hillside to enable everyone to view the sun as it rises.

High Point Of Festivals

There are also many Christians that take part in an Easter vigil and they usually light a new fire outside a church on a Sunday morning and it is also normal for a Paschal candle to be lit to celebrate Christ’s wounds, and this is carried into the church where it is used to light candles held by worshippers. Easter Sunday is the high point of the festival and is celebrated with parties, gift-giving as well as a celebration to rejoice in the rising from the dead of Jesus Christ, and his eternal life thereafter.

The focus of celebrating Easter Sunday is the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the fundamental principle, as well as belief, of Christianity, and it is well documented through historical facts. Christians believe that Jesus died for their sins on the Cross on Good Friday and thus celebrate Easter Sunday, as they are of the firm belief that only Jesus Christ can give eternal life as it was only He that was successful in overcoming death.

Western Christianity celebrates Easter on a Sunday, which is the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is thus common for Western churches to calculate the earliest possible date of Easter as March 22 and the latest possible date is April 25. The Orthodox, or Eastern Christianity, celebrates Easter on a Sunday between April 4th and May 8th, which is usually a week after the date of the Western Easter, though in some years these dates coincide. It is common for Christians to wear new clothes on Easter Sunday.

The exact date that Easter Sunday falls from year to year changes because it is based on the lunar calendar, but it is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or later than March 21.

Easter Sermon

January 6, 2013 History of Easter No comments

Common Easter Sermon Topics

The word “Easter” is derived from the ancient Babylonian and Assyrian goddess known as “Ishtar” (the Queen of Heaven) and “Astarte” (the ancient goddess of spring and fertility), which are both celebrated once a year. The Roman Catholic transformed these ancient traditions into a Christian version now known as Easter by changing the meaning of certain rituals found in ancient times in order to worship Jesus Christ. Easter sermons during Sunday worship began during the 1st century on the seventh day of Sabbath.

Today, Easter Sunday is observed throughout the biggest churches worldwide. During this day, people who do not regularly attend Sunday mass come together with people who regularly do to share and hear the Easter sermon. Although you can expect a larger audience during Easter Sundays, being able to hear inspiring words from men or women who address the Easter sermon from the pulpit is a religious gathering than only happens once a year.

Most Easter sermons focus on the Resurrection of Jesus and the hope it could bring to one’s life, even in the midst of struggle or sorrow. However, different priests and ministers can choose various paths on how to interpret the word of God.

The Inspiring Words Of Hope

Easter sermons usually speak of verses from the Bible associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It retells the story of the death and rebirth of Christ as he sacrifices his life for the good of humanity. While this story has been told hundreds of times at church, it still gives people the hope they need in times of trouble and despair.

Some verses in the Bible are ideal topics for Easter sermons, such as the one from the Gospel of John where Jesus tells John about the joy that no other person can take away from you – His resurrection. Priests and ministers help people understand these inspiring words through modern examples.

Some priests and ministers focus their Easter sermons on current issues, such as war, poverty, global warming and other worldly events. This way, people can relate to how Jesus Christ gave everyone hope that, even through situations where you think you cannot survive, hope, faith and love can get you through the problems.

Although each Easter sermon from different parts of the world is told in hundreds of ways, the main idea comes from what the salvation of the Lord has brought us and the understanding that, because Christ died for the good of man kind, you have to live for Him, not just for yourself.

Easter Eggs

January 3, 2013 Easter Eggs Comments Off on Easter Eggs

Coloring Easter eggs is a fun activity that can bring the entire family together. With so many distractions that are constantly separating families, such as the television, computer, along with all the electronics that we suddenly can’t live without, it’s hard to find ‘family time’. For this reason, we should be thankful that Easter comes along once a year and we should all take advantage of this April holiday by bringing the entire family together to decorate Easter eggs.

 

You Have Two Choices When you decorate Easter eggs

You have your choice to either decorate the eggs yourself or to buy a kit and let the kit do it for you. Of course, you yourself are handling the eggs no matter which one you choose, but when you do it yourself, if you don’t know what you’re doing, your Easter eggs can come out looking like they came from a very sick chicken.

Buy The Kits

The kits are a simple way to decorate Easter eggs. The decorations are so simple that anyone can use the kits to decorate Easter eggs and it’s hard to mess them up. The point is, that by springing for the three dollars or so that a kit costs, you can have beautifully decorated Easter eggs on Easter instead of hiding a bunch of eggs you’re embarrassed to tell others that you made. Of course, you can just go out and get the plastic eggs that break apart that you can put goodies inside. This is like a gift within a gift. You don’t get your hands dirty, you can put whatever you want inside, as long as it fits, and your child can find the egg and then find whatever is inside. It’s double the joy.

Plastic eggs, however, don’t bring the family together so they should only be reserved for when you only have a couple hours to come up with a bunch of eggs for an Easter egg hunt. Bringing the family together is really what Easter is all about, no matter what your beliefs are. Family and friends alike love us and support us and we should surround ourselves with them on this special day. Get everyone involved this Easter and have them decorate Easter eggs. The laughter and closeness that ensues will make it all worth it. Even if the eggs come out horribly wrong, the moment won’t be lost because you’ll have gained a closeness that can only come with such a meaningful activity.

Easter History and Traditions

January 1, 2013 History of Easter No comments

Easter Lily
Most people in Western civilizations principally celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For some people it is simply the beginning of a season of rebirth, re-growth and renewal.

There are different opinions on the history of Easter, however many agree that some traditions of Easter come from pagan background.

Easter traditions such as the Easter rabbit and Easter egg are symbols of fertility born from Pagan history and have nothing to do with the religious history of Easter. Many ancient history of Easter relate to new beginnings. Even the Christian relationship with Easter as the resurrection of Jesus is considered a new beginning.

Many in western culture color eggs on the night before Easter and have the Easter bunny hide the eggs for children to hunt the next day. This practice has no bearing on religion. Nor is there a logical explanation for the Easter bunny’s tie to eggs as rabbits bear their young while birds and chickens lay eggs.

Some New Easter Traditions You May Enjoy!

Well, let’s just forget the reasons behind illogical Easter traditions and create our very own Easter traditions that will provide new and personal meaning for your particular family.

The following Easter traditions provide meaning to this holiday through a sense of ritual and the memories of spending time with loved ones. Furthermore, they create and preserve a very special time for you and your family.

Seven Great Easter Traditions Your Family May Enjoy

  • Make a kindness wreath to hang on your doorway. Give each family member ten or more bright, spring colored ribbons the week before Easter. Then, each time that someone does something kind for someone else that week, they can tie a ribbon onto the wreath
  • Have the children draw something special to show what Easter means to them. These can then be displayed before being stored for the next year
  • Create a Garden Journal by covering a small notebook with spring patterns. In this journal, document the process that you go through to create a family garden this year. Of course, you will want to include plenty of photos, information about their favorite flowers and even some pressings of these flowers
  • Take some time to fill up an Easter basket with cheerful messages, handmade cards or simple gifts before anonymously leaving it on a friend’s doorstep
  • Make a video or audio tape of your children singing a fun seasonal song like “Here Comes Peter Cottontail.” This can make a treasured memento for you to share with family members and friends who do not live close to you
  • Give each of your Easter dinner guests a small piece of paper so that they can write down a special Easter message. Then take a picture of each guest and save the paper with their photo in a small photo album
  • Children enjoy coloring Easter pictures and making handmade Easter cards to send to their family and friends. You could even turn this into a party and have guests over to make their own Easter cards.

One great goal to have is to mail out at least 5 Easter cards this year to those people with whom you would like to rejuvenate a relationship.

Hopefully, you will enjoy some of these wonderful Easter traditions with your family this year – and start a tradition.

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