10 Facts about Easter - the church, the eggs and the hares

Today we offer 10 interesting facts about Easter. For example, do you know how the date of Easter is determined, what the days of Holy Week are called, or what Easter rice was used for in the past?

Facts about Easter

Easter is a major Christian holiday and is celebrated throughout the Christian world by both Protestants and Catholics. Easter is also celebrated in Judaism, where it is called Pesach. So Easter is an important holiday, but it still feels rather confused.

What do the Easter baskets and eggs have to do with Jesus' crucifixion? How is it that the Jews, who do not attribute any religious function to Jesus, celebrate Easter? And when does the Easter Bunny come into the picture? Here are ten interesting facts about Easter.

1. Date of Easter - very confusing

The date of Easter was decided by a church council in Nicaea as early as 325, but despite the fact that it has worked the same way for many years. very long time, it is still just as confusing. According to this meeting, Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, which can be any time between 22 March and 25 April.

2. The Christian Easter - to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus

The Christian celebration of Easter commemorates the fact that, according to the New Testament, Jesus suffered on the cross, died and then rose again so that believers could be forgiven for their sins and have eternal life. Throughout the Christian world, Easter is a family celebration, but other celebrations differ. Protestant churches hold services and the Catholic Church also organises long Easter processions.

3. The Jewish Passover - to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt

The Jews celebrate Passover to commemorate the Jews' exit from Egypt after years of slavery, according to the stories in the Old Testament. The name 'Passover' comes from the Hebrew name 'pesach', which means 'to pass' or 'to go by'. It is a seder meal, where the different dishes have symbolic meaning. They also eat unleavened bread, or matzah, because they did not have time to ferment the bread when they fled Egypt.

4. Holy Week - many days to keep track of

Holy Week is the last week of Lent, and runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Eve.

• Palm Sunday - The Sunday before Easter begins the week of silence and remembers when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was honoured by the people.
• Blue Monday - Confusingly, this name can also refer to the Monday after Lenten Sunday. The name comes from the practice of dressing German churches in blue.
• White Tuesday - To continue the confusion, this name refers to both the Tuesday of Holy Week and Fat Tuesday ...
• Dymmelon Day - On this day, the metal clappers in church bells were replaced by wooden rods (dymels) for a more subdued sound.
• Maundy Thursday - In the Roman Catholic Church, this day is a day of purification (cut means purification, as in purgatory).
• Good Friday - This day commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and was named because the day was long and full of suffering.
• Easter Eve - On the day after Good Friday, there are no religious services because Jesus was in the tomb on that day.

5. Easter Lent - important in the Middle Ages

Easter Lent is the period of fasting for Christians, lasting 40 days before Easter, excluding Sundays. Lent was important in the Middle Ages, and was practised in some parts of the evangelical world until the 18th century. Lent can be observed by Christians even today, for example by abstaining from sweets, alcohol or meat. Fixed assets are the days before Lent, when people like to indulge in Lenten buns (semlor).

6. Easter eggs - a symbol of rebirth

Spring is the time of year when nature is reborn, which is celebrated in many cultures with various fertility rituals. Eggs symbolise rebirth and fertility, which can also be linked to the resurrection of Jesus. In other words, eggs fit well with Easter for several reasons. In addition, in the past, Easter was celebrated after a long period of fasting, during which people not allowed eat eggs. In other words, they had plenty of eggs to spare!

7. Easter rice - for whipping or decorating

Today, the Easter rice is a nice decoration with feathers of different colours, but this was not always the case. Once upon a time, the father of the house used the rice to whip the other family members, reminding them of Jesus' suffering on the cross. Over time, the tradition took on a more jocular character, and in some parts of central Europe it still seems to be partially alive ...

8. Easter bunnies - comes from Germany

The Easter Bunny is known from the late 17th century and originates from Germany. In the 1850s, the hare was heavily promoted by the candy and toy industries as the Easter equivalent of Santa Claus. In Sweden, the Easter bunny never became as important, except in the form of chocolate and marzipan hares. In some families, children also look for Easter eggs ... perhaps hidden by the Easter Bunny.

But why a hare? According to some, it is the hare's legendary reproductive powers that make it suitable for fertility rituals. Others believe that it was bread meant to represent lambs that was simply misinterpreted ...

9. Easter bunnies - fly to Blåkulla

According to Swedish folklore, an Easter basket is a witch who flies on a broom to Blåkulla on Maundy Thursday. It is believed that the idea of Easter cakes comes from the 17th century witch trials, but they are distinguished by accessories such as a coffee pot, a black cat and a broom. To scare them, fires were lit or guns were fired, which still exists today in the form of Easter bonfires and Easter crackers. Children have been dressing up as Easter bunnies since the 19th century.

10. Easter candy - 7000 tonnes in Easter eggs

According to a article in Metro n 2018, Swedes ate 7000 tonnes of sweets during Easter, which corresponds to 1.4 kg per person. Our favourite thing to fill our Easter eggs with is loose candy, although we also eat chocolate, pralines and marzipan are classics. Alcohol consumption also goes up during Easter, about 40 per cent compared to a normal week. In addition, we drink 12 million litres of Easter must, i.e. 1.2 litres per person.

More interesting facts about Easter?

Do you have more interesting facts about Easter to share? Feel free to tell us!

All photos in the post are borrowed from Pixabay.