Origins of Easter The feast is called Holy Week for many Christian religions, far more religious approach, almost all Christian movements consider the time as marked.
However there are many customs and rituals that over time have been added to this type of celebration, many of them imported from other religions outside Christianity. Among these are the famous Catholic processions, which are actually copies of ancient rituals, which are drawn from many things in common.
\u0026lt;--- One of the oldest represencaiones of a religious procession, is found in a sarcophagus in the Cretan palace of Hagia Triada and XIV century BC. In the observed intersections, banners, and some offerings, common things too numerous processions of the Catholic Church.
The custom of processions carrying images, not Christian origin, for both Romans and Greeks inherited these customs and rituals of ancient religions. Such as is known in Ephesus, during major festivals celebrated in the month of Artemisio (March-April), came to the city hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over Asia Minor. A feature of the celebration was a religious procession, during which he walked Artemis's image throughout the city with great joy.
Most Christian religions reject this custom to resemble the ancestral worship, which were condemned by the Bible, as described in the biblical text: Who I've likened? See layout, wandering, that gold come together in the bag, and silver in the balance: weigh in weight, and hiring the goldsmith, made manuhechuras, and fell down, adoráronlas; llévanla on the shoulder and leave, and, if any placed on its website is: will not move, no, and he cries to her, hear no, no, the evil will not save, no. (Isaiah 46:5-7)
the northwest, in Anatolia, the equivalent of Ishtar was Cybele, known as the Great Mother of the gods. Also called the begetter of all the foods from all the Blessed Mother of all. From Anatolian cult of Cybele spread first to Greece and then Rome, where he survived until well into the Common Era. The worship of the goddess of fertility included frenetic dance, self laceration by the priests, self castration by those who aspired to the priesthood, and processions in which they carried the statue of the goddess in the midst of much splendor.
Then there is the issue of food abstienencia call during Lent, the time that elapses from the carnival until Holy Week.
In fact nowhere in the Bible there are instructions about keeping some kind of religious procession and a festival called "Easter. In fact, customs and procedures followed during the celebration really are at odds with the teachings of the Bible, for example, the custom of abstaining from meat during Holy Week. Coincides with the words I would say almost prophetic warning given by the apostle Paul, saying:
Some will abandon the faith... by the hypocrisy of tricksters... they prohibit... the use of foods which God created to be eaten with thanksgiving by the faithful who have known the truth. "( 1 Timothy 4:1-3 ) It is true that origin of certain rituals found in the beginnings of Christianity. For example, the ritual of drinking or switch from one to another the bread and wine, was instituted by Jesus principlamente. It is the only ritual observance or celebration that instituted the originator of Christianity itself, when said
And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave them, saying: "This is my body which is given for you. Keep doing this in remembrance of me. I did the same with the cup. After supper, he said: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you. (Luke 22:19,20 ). Jesus did not say specifically how often I held the commemoration of his death. However, instituted at the time of Passover, that among his disciples was replaced by the commemoration of Christ's death. The Passover was an annual event, celebrated on 14 Nisan. Just as the Jewish feast of unleavened bread or unleavened bread, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Feast of Tabernacles or collection, and the Day of Atonement is celebrated once a year, so did with the Passover, for it is understood that in the beginning was to be annual. Later in the apostolic letters referred to that moment, and of great importance for Christians, implying that it was a regular habit. For ejmplo in Apostle Paul said
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and then given thanks, broke it and said: "This means my body for you. Keep doing this in remembrance of me. "He did the same thing about the cup also, after supper, saying," This cup means under the new covenant in my blood. Keep doing this, how often they drink, in remembrance of me. " For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord until he comes. (1Coritntios 11:23-26) why some denominations call this Memorial of Christ's death. Interestingly Jesus himself was not involved taking the bread and drinking wine, but distributed it to his disciples and this rite was that which urged his followers to perform. So in the early centuries of Christianity was made each year. But eventually developed between Catholics and taking the consecrated Host and wine by the way the faithful do not drink, was a custom which originally had to do with the Christian celebrations of the century, to the date of Passover . Used to be held on the date coinciding with the Jewish Nisan 14. It was in the century II and III in-law was established, especially in the West spend the first Sunday closest to that date, so holding off on a holiday and do not call the attention of the Roman authorities at that time opposed to Christianity. There were groups like the Quartodecimans, who refused to change and therefore that they were separated.
But he remained in the habit of annual celebration. It was not until long after Constantine, who instituted the custom of celebrating the ritual every Sunday and not on an annual basis.
The name "Mass" to refer to meetings in the Catholic Church has its origin in the year 350, when he was given the name to the ritual of celebrating the Eucharist and Christ's sacrifice. But the term came from the phrase Mass: Ite Missa Est, say the priests of Roman deities, when they ended their religious rites. It was taken the same expression to match the final phrase of Jesus on the cross that translated into Latin read: "It is finished", which literally means has been made, said before expiring. Since according to the Catholic interpretation at every Mass it becomes to make the sacrifice and death of Christ and for that reason we have adapted the phrase.
week is usually speaks from the time of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, until the day of his resurrection. Although originally only celebrated what is known as the Last Supper of Christ with his apostles, and was made from annually and the date of Passover, which corresponded with him, the time from mid-second century, especially in Western churches began to hold the dinner on Sunday nearest the full moon of March, while the Eastern churches remained longer holding on the date equivalent to the Jewish Passover or Jewish Nisan 14.
disputes later emerged between Christians of different branches on the form and date of the Easter celebration or memorial. In the second century, insisted Quartodecimans to be held on 14 Nisan, hence its name. But by the fourth century, had triumphed in a Sunday's final supporters. Later, at the time of the schism of the East in the early tenth century, was the subject of the use of unleavened bread, then the use of both, the doctrine of transubstantiation of the body of Christ become the bread and wine blood .
processions
The custom of the time of Christ's death was another tradition that has evolved over time. It is known that for the third century, Christians in Jerusalem processions were accustomed, of course not carry any image, or icon, but only traveled as a group the places where Jesus was led to martyrdom. That did it for the time the annual celebration of the memorial or Last Supper.
Around 1264, I started the habit of calling a silent marches of Corpus Christi, which is reminiscent of the moments of the cross, but neither carried images. Theatrical scenes were added later to remember the time provided for the approximate date the full moon of March.
\u0026lt;----- medieval processions of Corpus Christi.
was from the Council of Trent, had used the custom among Catholics, to unify the ride of images representing Christ Mary and other saints relacionados.Esa way to celebrate the memorial of Christ's death, only remain in the Catholic religion, and especially in Latin countries.
-La Pascua Florida in the Nordic and Anglo-Saxon countries is related to the time of the celebration of the death of Jesus, but actually it was "originally a spring festival in honor of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring known Eastre Anglo-Saxon "or Easter, and were frequently held for the last weeks of March, coinciding with the first full moon of spring.
The best-known symbols of the feast of Easter eggs and Easter bunny. Agrees that the symbols of the goddess fertility Astarte, or Ishtar, from which they were Easter egg and the hare. Therefore, one can also say that is alien to early Christianity.
