Celebrating Easter

Like so many occasions, Easter has a multitude of personalities. 

For most Christians, Easter represents one the most important dates on the calendar -- the resurrection of Jesus. Those with a more secular view of Easter celebrate the spring season. Interestingly, many of the symbols used to represent Easter predate Christianity. The moveable feast, which follows the vernal equinox, falls on April 12 this year.

Many Christian denominations celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday, two days after Good Friday,  or the day Jesus was crucified. While it might seem strange that the day of Jesus' death is called Good Friday most prefer to see the day as one of hope -- where not even death can diminish one's faith.

Easter Sunday also represents the last day of Lent, a time of prayer and penance.

It's safe to say, that even the most devout, are able to find a happy balance and embrace many of the secular Easter images, specifically the Easter Bunny and the tradition of Easter eggs.

Rabbits have for centuries been symbols of fertility. However, the modern image of the Easter Bunny probably dates to German immigrants to the Pennsylvania area of the United States introducing traditional stories of a "special hare that laid eggs for children."  The hare evolved into the more animated version of the magical bunny that hides eggs for children to find on Easter Sunday.

The tradition of using eggs at Easter can be traced to Medieval times when eating eggs was prohibited during Lent.  To preserve them, eggs were often boiled and then enjoyed at festivities after Lent.  As well, eggs are universally viewed as fertility symbols.  Today eggs are coloured and decorated, often elaborately, and used in various festivities during Easter.   Today chocolate eggs and bunnies wrapped in colourful foil usually replace real eggs. 

Families often gather for sumptuous Easter meals that usually comprise festive hams, colourful spring vegetables, corn puddings and hot cross buns.

Passover - The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Passover celebrates the Jewish people's emancipation from slavery under the rule of the Pharohs and their eventual exodus from Egypt. Traditionally, the holiday begins at sunset on the 15th day of the month Nisan on the Jewish calendar.  This year Passover begins at sunset on April 8th and ends on April 16 at nightfall.

Families pay tribute to their Jewish heritage and traditions by joining with friends and relatives for a Passover dinner called a seder. In preparation for the seder, houses are furiously cleaned to ensure that all bread or any leavened products called Chametz  are discarded. The reason for this traces to the Jewish people's flight from Egypt, when the Pharoh provided them with a brief window of time to prepare bread for the exodus.  Because of the brief time allowed the bread couldn't rise. Today, unleavened bread or matzah is used during Passover.

For many orthodox families the seder can consist of numerous parts and can be very long.  

The "required" elements of the seder include a retelling of the story of the Jewish exodus from the Haggadah (which also includes the order of the seder and blessings for the food), eating matzah and drinking four cups of wine.

In most orthodox families a special seder plate is placed on the table adorned with various representations from the story. They include: a lamb bone for the sacrificial lamb used to protect homes from the ten plagues; bitter herbs to show the bitter lives of the slaves; Haroset (a mixture of apples, nuts, honey, wine and cinnamon is used to represent the clay used to build the great cities; parsley and an egg are the images of spring; and a bowl of salt water in which the greens are dipped symbolizes the tears of the slaves. 

In North America, some of the traditional Passover dishes include: matzah balls eaten in a chicken soup, matzah brei (similar to French toast), beef brisket, carrot kugel as well as a huge variety of cakes and cookies made from unleavened grains.