Easter, what do we actually celebrate?
Easter starts with Maundy Thursday followed by Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. These days come back every year. Monday we close the Easter weekend. Easter can be quite a party. When the sun really breaks through Eastern might be the first skirts day of the year. Be surprised. But what exactly are we celebrating at Eastern?
Easter in a nutshell
Easter is a Christian feast celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. On Maundy Thursday, Jesus sits with his followers at the Last Supper. After all, Judas betrays Jesus late that night to the Roman Authorities. On Good Friday he is sentenced to death. Jesus dies on the cross on Good Friday. But a miracle happens as he rises from the dead three days later. Then it is Sunday Morning. Easter Sunday.
Nowadays Eggs are a major part of our Easter celebration. Since we consider Eggs as a symbol of rebirth. And that’s what Easter is all about. After all, Jesus Christ is reborn as he rises from the dead. With his death punishment, he takes upon himself the sins of mankind. Well, since this is the way it is, you can relax. No more worrying about the dark side of your character. The good God forgives. Whoever you are, whatever you did God forgives, since JESUS paid for your sins on EASTERN.
Easter is never on the same date. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the onset of spring.
Prior to EASTERN is a forty-day, Lent. Three days prior to the start of this Lent is the Carnival. After this party, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. So, Carnival ends with Ash Wednesday which is the start of the 40-day Lent.
First and second Easter day
In 1618, the church and state determined that Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost got a second public holiday. Hence, the Christian celebrations continued on Mondays. Since 1815 these Mondays are official holidays in the Netherlands.
Dutch traditional chocolate Easter Egg
Visit at Easter a Dutch bakery, patisserie, or a special chocolate store and buy an awesome chocolate Easter egg. It is a Dutch Eastern tradition to give your loved one, your mother, your grandmother, or a good friend a chocolate Eastern egg. Actually, you can get Luxurious Chocolate Easter Eggs in different price ranges. After all, an easter egg covered with diamonds will fetch quite a price. As for the prices of artworks of Jeff Koons, and prices at the Dutch Bakery as well, the sky is the limit.
Easter eggs at breakfast, brunch, or lunch
During Easter, we like to eat an egg. Whether you enjoy chocolate eggs or a boiled and painted egg, an egg in any case is part of the Easter Breakfast. Traditionally, one was not allowed to eat eggs from Lent till Easter Sunday. During Lent, we would paint eggs, store them, and eat them at Easter. Obviously, Egg painting is a Dutch tradition.
Chocolate Egg
The Chocolate Egg is an 18th-century invention by Parisian pastry bakers. Initially, the baker poured the chocolate into the mold of a real egg. Chocolate eggs are more beautiful and bigger nowadays. Moreover, pastry bakers competed to see who discover who made the prettiest easter egg. After all, it is just a custom to eat a lot of (chocolate) eggs around Easter. The first chocolate eggs already appear in the shops at the end of January. Yeah, the Dutch overdo it……
Saint Jude’s Medal
The lovely Saint Jude’s Medal (Lunaria annua) blooms at Easter. This flower blooms in the colors purple and white. The plant gets its name from the round seed pods that resemble pennies. The plant is attractive to butterflies, honeybees and bumblebees are also happy with it.
The Passion, a Dutch musical TV event
The Passion is an annual Dutch musical-biblical event about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. The event is yearly held in a different Dutch city on Maundy Thursday. Moreover, there is a live broadcast on National television. The organization of this event is a collaborative project of religious broadcasters.
Several Dutch celebrities tell the story. of the crucifixion of Jezus. Not only on the basis of Biblical texts but also with well-known Dutch pop songs and a well-known Dutch city as a backdrop. The Passion is very popular but… also receives criticism. Some Christians are enthusiastic because the Passion of Jesus reaches a wider audience in this way. Other Christians find it scandalous that a major Biblical Event is told in the words of Dutch hits.
