
Easter religious and folk customs celebrate the victory of life over death
Easter is the biggest and happiest Christian holiday. All religious and folk customs associated with this holiday celebrate the victory of life over death. The day Jesus Christ rose from the dead is the day of the celebration of Easter. The holiday lasts 3 days because the date changes every year but it is always Sunday. It is celebrated every year after the Jewish Passover on the first Sunday after the full moon (which is on the day of the vernal equinox or immediately after it). With this holiday, people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the one hand and on the other hand remind them of the possibility for a person to be resurrected after death or to be transformed if he awaits the second coming of Christ alive. Jesus was crucified on the cross on Friday, was in the tomb on Saturday, and was resurrected on Sunday. The essence of salvation seems to be roughly: man sinned, the wages of sin is death, God took the blame and paid for human sin with his death and resurrection confirmed the power of life. Christians believe that by sacrificing on the cross, Jesus made eternal life possible for all people who accept his sacrifice. He is believed to be the only sinless one who paid the price of human sin thus giving hope for salvation. Everyone can hope for the saved and that is the message of the good news of the Gospel. The good news is the possibility of life in spite of death.
Belief in the resurrection is a significant issue since the essence of Christianity is based precisely on the belief that Jesus rose from the dead and then that the future of believers is in their own resurrection and eternal life. Easter is the essence of the faith that brought rebuke to mankind. In this act, a new religion emerged that differed from all previous religions. Easter, like other holidays, and most dogmas have the same content but are liturgically celebrated differently. Preparations are different. Believers that the West no longer has such preparations as, for example, multi-week jobs. In Catholicism, special importance is given to Good Friday, the day of suffering and crucifixion, but all attention is focused on the resurrection. Preparations for the celebration of Easter last about 2 months and begin with a period of fasting. From the beginning of Lent until Easter there are holidays that make up the pre-Easter cycle (Flower Sunday which is the week before Easter, the remembrance of Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem before the Passion and the like).
Festive feast for Easter – the first greasy feast after period of the 40-day Easter fast must contain colorful eggs, Easter bread and baking. On Easter, a red egg is taken before a meal and gently rubbed on the cheeks, forehead and chin of each family member. It is believed that all family members will be full of life, healthy, happy and hardworking. After that, the family fights with eggs and starts lunch. The customs associated with this holiday are associated with the old pagan religions associated with the coming of spring, the renewal of nature and the rebirth of life. The most important custom is to paint eggs, especially with red. An egg means a new life to be celebrated. This shows that life is powerful despite the destruction that generally accompanies life.
The entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is the day to commemorate Christ’s entry into Jerusalem before the Passion. It is customary to plant and nurture flowers on that day so that housewives have a good life throughout the year. In some areas, the whole family washes themselves with flowers. The day before, the flowers of everything that had blossomed so far were harvested. The flowers are placed in a vase to spend the night. In the morning, all family members wash from the same dish. It is believed that all members of the family will be as fresh, beautiful and fragrant as flowers.
Egg painting is the oldest Christian custom. Legend has it that eggs are feared from the moment the Emperor Tiberius did not believe that Jesus Christ had risen. The Emperor of Tiberius said that it would be the same when white eggs turn into red eggs, pointing to the basket with eggs. Mary Magdalene just looked in the basket and said, “Jesus is risen,” so the eggs turned red. According to another belief, the inhabitants of Jerusalem told Christians that it is impossible for Jesus to be resurrected because not even a hen can lay red eggs. Allegedly, all the chickens in Jerusalem laid red eggs the following Easter. Egg coloring is a tradition that is passed down from one generation to the next. First, one egg turns red. – That egg is a guard house and is kept until the next Easter. There are people who believe that nothing should be done for Good Friday and especially nothing should be put to boil. That is why eggs are sometimes painted on Saturday the day before Easter or Thursday at dawn as soon as the sun rises. Some people paint eggs on Fridays.