Sunday, April 22, 2018

Why Easter is celebrated?

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. ... Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21.
Many Christians celebrate Easter Sunday as the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection. According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb where Jesus was buried and found it empty. An angel told her that Jesus had risen. The resurrection established Jesus as the powerful Son of God and is cited as proof that God will judge the world in righteousness.

Passover...

Jews celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses.
The final plague was the death of the first born. God told Moses that the Israelites should mark their doorposts with lamb's blood so that God could 'pass over' their houses and spare them from this plague. ... 


This is why, during Passover, Jewish people eat unleavened bread called Matzah.


The first night always includes a special seder (ritual dinner). Plus, traditional Jews outside of Israel don't work on either the first two or the last two days of the seven-day period. Outside of Israel, Jews celebrate a second seder on the second night of Passover. 


At a Passover seder, the following traditional items are on the table: Seder plate: The seder plate (there's usually one per table) holds at least six of the ritual items that are talked about during the seder: the shankbone, karpas, chazeret, charoset, maror, and egg. Maror and Chazeret are bitter herbs symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery the Hebrews endured in Egypt. 

What are Karpas and what do they symbolize?

Karpas is one of the traditional rituals in the Passover Seder. It refers to the vegetable, usually parsley or celery, that is dipped in liquid (usually salt water) and eaten. ... The word comes from the Greek 'karpos' meaning a fresh raw vegetable.


Roasted lamb shankbone: One of the most striking symbols of Passover is the roasted lamb shankbone (called zeroah), which commemorates the paschal (lamb) sacrifice made the night the ancient Hebrews fled Egypt. Some people say it symbolizes the outstretched arm of God (the Hebrew word zeroah can mean “arm”). 

A roasted hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

During Passover, followers of the Jewish faith are forbidden to eat, drink, or own chametz or (chometz) – food that is made from grain (barley, oats, rye, spelt, or wheat) and water and has been allowed to rise. ... They are then purchased back after the end of Passover. In Israel, Passover lasts for 7 days.

No comments:

Post a Comment