Countdown to Easter Listen to Handel's Messiah Chorus

Every year at this festive Holiday time I always add special treats about the festivities around the world at the end of all of my auction item descriptions, changing them with each small batch I list. Many viewers from several countries have emailed me, thanking me for making the season special for them -- for the last 4 years I have been doing it somewhat differently -- all of the little stories will be on this special page, in the same individual format as they first appeared over the years, so that the page might be accessed at any time, and may be bookmarked for your leisurely reading enjoyment. They are not organized in any particular sequence.

	The egg and the rabbit, two of Easter's most recognized symbols, have associations with spring, fertility and birth/rebirth going back to antiquity.
	Eggs symbolize birth and fertility in many cultures. The ancient Egyptians and Persians colored eggs to give as gifts during their spring festival which took place around the time of the vernal or spring equinox, when night and day are equal -- it was a magical time of renewal. Some Egyptian temples were designed to allow the Sun to shine into the depths onto the main altar at the time of the equinox, and the massive stone pillars at Stonehenge are alligned to signal this yearly celestial event!
click for large view	The legends of ancient Egypt connect the bunny rabbit, which comes out at night to feed, with the Moon -- curiously, so too did the Chinese. Rabbits are fertility symbols, and Moon-related in several other cultures -- perhaps due to the Moonth = month long gestation period of these quickly procreating mammals. Easter itself is a holiday determined by the lunar calendar.
	According to Anglo-Saxon / Germanic mythology, the goddess Ostara [Eostre], wishing to delight some children, turned her pet bird into a rabbit named Lepus. The rabbit laid some brightly colored eggs, which Ostara gave to the children. He turned out to be a really funny bunny! The word Easter is thought to be derived from the name of that goddess, adopted into the joyous Christian springtime festivity, one celebrating the Resurrection of the crucified Crist.
click for large view	For some reason, as happened on occasion with these powerful gods, Ostara got mad at the poor rabbit one day and threw him into the sky, where he still may be seen as the winter constellation Lepus, the Hare, at the feet of Orion, the Mighty Hunter -- my favorite star group since childhood! It is said that the rabbit is being chased by Orion's large faithful hunting dog, Canis Major [see linked constallation map, on the left]

Easter is actually a lunar festival rather than a solar event. The celebration of Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox (and if said full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is the Sunday after). Eostre (pronounced East-ra) is the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn, from whom East and Easter are derived. As the fertility goddess of the Northern European peoples, the invading Romans merged Eostre's spring legend with Christianity, to coincide with the time of Christ's resurrection. In German mythology, she is also the goddess Ostara, the maiden, and celebrated at the Equninox when night and day are equal and balanced. Interestingly, the word estrus is also derived from Eostre, for her consort was a rabbit, also a symbol of fertility! We can use this time to embrace Eostre's energy and look forward to new ideas, new jobs, new goals, much as we might make New Year's resolutions.

More on the rabbit's association with the moon is explained by this story. Once upon a time, a monkey, a rabbit, and a fox lived together as friends. During the day they frolicked on the mountain; at night they went back to the forest. As the years passed Indra, the Lord of Heaven became curious and wanted to see if rumors of their friendship were true. He went to them disguised as an old wanderer, "I have traveled through mountains and valleys and I am weak and tired," he stated. "Could you give me something to eat?"Immediately, the monkey departed to gather nuts. After returning, he presented the food to the wanderer; the fox brought an offering from his fish trap in the river. The rabbit ran through the fields, searching desperately for something to offer. When he returned with nothing, the monkey and the fox teased him endlessly. Depressed and discouraged, the little rabbit asked the monkey to gather some wood and the fox to set fire to it. Suddenly, the little rabbit said, "Please eat me," and threw himself into the flames. The wanderer, honored and humbled by the sacrifice, began to weep. Then, he proclaimed, "All of you deserve praise, for your offerings were kind and thoughtful. This little rabbit, however, has displayed true selflessness with his sacrifice." As the other animals watched, he revealed himself as a God, restoring the rabbit to his original form and taking the little body to heaven to be buried in the palace of the moon.

Eostre gave Lepus the gift of laying eggs once a year, which, combined with the celebration of Christ's resurrection, is why we have the modern day tradition of the Easter Bunnys delivering Easter eggs. From the most ancient times, the goddess Eostre was the measurer of time. Our measurer of time is the moon, chosen over the Sun, so the lunar month of 28 days (four weeks of seven days each) gives 13 periods in 364 days, equivalent to the solar year of 52 weeks. The moon may then be another name for Eostre, and its name comes from the Sanskrit word mas -- from ma, to measure -- and was masculine. Because the measurement of time is an active process, the waxing and full moon was considered male, while the waning and new moon were said to be female. In mythology, gods and goddesses were androgynous and their sex depended upon what was needed in the moment. And, it was believed that a rabbit could change its sex, as the moon changes phases.

How do these revelations about our lunar measurer further relate to the Easter Bunny? A clue to the answer is found within the paintings and fables of artists and storytellers of the Far East. These artists often painted the moon with rabbits racing across its face. The Chinese, in particular, have represented the moon as a rabbit pounding rice in a mortar. According to tradition, the Jade Rabbit pounds out medicine for the gods with the lady Ch'ang-e. Others say that the Jade Rabbit is a shape assumed by Ch'ang-e herself. The dark areas to the top of the full moon can be construed as the figure of a rabbit. The animal's ears point to the lower right, while at the left are two large circular areas representing its head and body. There are even more explanations accounting for the rabbit/moon connection. One is that the bunny is nocturnal and feeds by night; another is that the rabbit's gestation period is one month long. Hares are born with their eyes open, so the Egyptians called the hare Un, which meant open, to open, the opener. Un also meant period. Thus the rabbit became a symbol for the lunar cycle. The hare as Un or opener symbolized the new year at Easter, fertility, and the beginning of new life.

In Medieval Europe, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, the weeks of penance preceeding Easter Therefore they were a prized Easter gift for children and servants. Eggs were painted bright colors to resemble the sun and springtime. Often, the colors and patterns had a romantic symbolism -- lovers exchanged eggs as they send Valentine's Day cards today. Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and in Greece, painted eggs bright red to resemble the blood of Christ. Hollow eggs (created by piercing the shell with a needle and blowing out the contents) were decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious figures in Armenia. Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday. They also hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created. The Germans probably began making chocolate bunnies and eggs. Immigrants took the custom to the so called Pennsylvania Dutch area of eastern North America. As Easter celebrations became more common after the Civil War, the custom of chocolate eggs took hold.

The most elaborate Easter egg traditions appear to have emerged in Eastern Europe. In Poland -- -- and Ukraine -- -- eggs were often painted silver and gold. Pysanky (to design or write) eggs were created by carefully applying wax in patterns to an egg. The egg was then dyed, wax would be reapplied in spots to preserve that color, and the egg was boiled again in other shades. The result was a multi-color stripped or patterned egg. In my teens an aunt showed me how to do this, and gave me a tjanting tool, used to apply the hot wax to the egg. forming the desired patterns. It is a lot of fun to do, and the patterns are limited only by your imagintion.

Carnivals Lent Holy Week

Before Lent begins, many towns and cities around the world celebrate Shrovetide, or Carnival time, a period of three or more days during which parades and other functions are organized to allow free rein to worldly pleasures, including much drinking and naughtiness, before the prolonged period of fasting, penance and good works -- I fondly remember those I was able to observe in Germany and Spain in my student days in Europe. The best known are perhaps those in Rio and the French Quarter of New Orleans. Lent -- the 40 days before Easter Sunday, not counting Sundays, so the period is actually 46 days long -- weeks of fasting, penance and preparation for the Ressurection beginning on Ash Wednesday, when believers get a cross on their forehead in blest ashes to symbolize ashes to ashes, dust to dust -- why 40 days? Some say it symbolizes the 40 hours Christ lay in the tomb. Lent derives from the Olde English word for spring -- this is unique to English. In almost all other languages its name is a derivative of the Latin term Quadragesima, or the forty days. Fasting, depending on differing beliefs, included meat, hard shell fruits, eggs, cheese, milk, among others -- when I was young, meat was allowed once a day for working families, except on Fridays, when fish was substituted. The Liturgy of the church services changes during this season to one commemorating the period. On Fridays the Stations of the Cross are highlighted with special services -- as a kid in Catholic school, we would all attend these services, reciting the rosary, reminding us of the passion and suffering of Christ, as the priest went from one Station of the Cross to the next, 14 in all, usually depicted as bas relief sculptures along the walls of the church. The last week of Lent is termed Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, that was marked by the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as their messianic king. Certain societies hold Processions during Holy Week, or Semana Santa, most going back many centuries -- I have been to those in Madrid, Sevilla and the Canary Islands, Spain -- they are common in Hispanic cultures, including the Philippines and Latin America. Some of those participating carry heavy wooden crosses barefoot along the route, others flog themselves, some are wearing sackcloth. Floats bearing sacred images, some adorned with gifts of jewels, votive objects and elaborate vestments are carried through the streets, accompanied by official groups which are associated with the respective statues. Spy Wednesday commemorates the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. The Liturgy changes once again. In Catholic traditions, the conclusion to the week is called the Easter Triduum (triduum = an interval of three days that are devoted to special prayer and observance). The Easter Triduum begins Thursday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday. This is the day of the Last Supper, when Christ had his last meal with his disciples and instituted the priesthood, and the Eucharist or Holy Communion as a sacrament -- Do this in commemoration of me. Holy Friday or Good Friday is devoted to the remembrance of the trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial of Jesus -- in the churches I have been to, all pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered in black cloth symbolizing mourning, as are the altar coverings, and the altar candles are extinguished. Holy Saturday is the seventh day of the week, the day Jesus rested in the tomb. In the first three Gospel accounts this was the Jewish Sabbath, a day of rest. The Easter Vigil, or Midnight Mass, consists of much solemnity -- the church is darkened, a new fire is lit and used to light the Pascal Candle, from which those attending light their own candle, bringing light into the darkness -- the black cloth is removed from the religious figures, the altar is adorned with white lilies, holy water is blessed for baptisms and other rites during the year -- Alleluia is once again sung at the news that Christ has miraculously risen from the dead. Easter Sunday, or Pascuas, is the greatest feast of the year, for Christ is risen -- and fasting ends. Dinner may include such delights as suckling pascal lamb, butter may be molded in the shape of a lamb, as are some pastries and cakes -- families and friends gather to partake of the celebratory feast.

Passover

The Christian Ecclesiastical Calendar -- the Jewish liturgical year is the basis for Christian as well as Jewish movable feasts -- those annual holidays that do not fall on a fixed date but vary according to astronomical occurrences, in this case the Moon. The celebration of Passover took place just before the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, and the two holidays have been entwined from the beginning -- the word Pasch, originally meaning Passover, came to mean Easter as well. Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, the holiday commemorating the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt, lasts seven days in Israel and among Reform Jews, and eight days elsewhere around the world. It begins on the 15th day of Nisan (actually on sundown of the previous day), which is the seventh month in the Jewish calendar. It ends on the 21st of Nisan in Israel (and for Reform Jews) and on the 22nd of Nisan elsewhere. Since Hebrew days begin and end at sundown, Passover begins at sundown on the day preceding the Nisan date. A Jewish friend of mine in Tel Aviv described the season in 2004 -- "There is always something exciting about the Hamsins of early spring. Last week was rainy and cold and wintery. Today the Hamsin [fom Arabic] desert wind, or Sharav in Hebrew, began to bring the heat and the dryness of the desert right into the city. Summer in Tel Aviv is very humid and sticky. The Sharav is dry and dusty. The feeling of excitement that the Sharav wind brings with it is symbolic. This is a season of new beginning. One of the many paradoxes in Jewish tradition is that although we celebrate Rosh HaShana, the New Year, in the month of Tishrei, which falls in September or October, the month of Nisan, which falls in March or April, is actually the first month. Nisan is the month of the wheat harvest and this is when we celebrate Passover, the festival of emerging from slavery to freedom."

Easter Around the World

In Norway, reading detective and crime novels has become a popular Easter pastime. Paaskekrim (Easter crime) refers to the newly published crime novels available at Easter. From Holy Thursday through Easter Monday is a public holiday -- many Norwegians take vacations to the mountains, or to the coast at this time. According to folklore, the tradition of reading these novels at Easter appears to originate from the violent nature of Christ's death. In Latvia they play an Easter egg game in which each person takes a hard boiled, colored egg. Players pair up and then tap the ends of their eggs together. First the wide ends of the two eggs, then the narrow ends, and finally one wide and one narrow end. When a player's egg breaks, he or she is out of the game, which continues until one player is left with an intact egg. Lilies were a symbol of purity for early Christians. The white trumpet lily, known in the United States as Easter Lilies, were brought from Bermuda around 1900 -- it blooms in the spring and became a symbol for Easter in many churches. Passion Plays were common in Medieval Europe, taking place in front of churches and cathedrals -- one of the most famous, in Oberammergau, Germany, is acted out by the vilagers every ten years since 1634, fulfilling a vow made in gratitude for deliverance from the plague -- it continues to be a major tourist attraction. One of the most famous Easter events in Mexico, drawing a million visitors each year is the passion play in the town of Iztapalapa, near Mexico City. Following a cholera epidemic in the winter of 1833, a handful of survivors decided to hold the play in thanksgiving. The plays have become increasingly more elaborate -- leading roles are awarded to those meeting strict physical requirements, and must be of unquestionable good character. In Sweden, witches were thought to fly their broomsticks to church bell towers on Easter Eve. In western Sweden, children often dress up as hags and visit neighbors, often with an Easter card, wishing for a coin or candy in as a gift. Early Christians, following their baptism, wore white robes throughout Easter week to identify themselves as having begun new lives -- they were reborn. Those already baptized wore new clothes to symbolize their sharing a new life with Christ. Easter cards arrived during the reign of Queen Victoria in England, when a stationer added a greeting to a drawing of a rabbit. They proved very popular, and the tradition continues today. In the Middle Ages in Europe, churchgoers would follow in procession after Easter Mass, led by a crucifix and the Easter candle. Today these walks endure as Easter Parades -- people show off their finest attire, dressed in their newest suits, dresses and hats -- some of the most popular venues for these Parades are the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey, and along 5th Avenue in New York City.

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Remember to keep my seller list bookmarked because I usually hold special EASTER auctions starting at $one$dollar$ and ending on the day of the festivity. God willing, I hope to do the same thing this year as a personal sincere THANK YOU to all of my happy winning bidders throughout the year.

* This is a SPECIAL NO RESERVE $1 EASTER auction !! *

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As an additional treet, any winning bidder who has taken the time to read down this far will receive a 50 cent discount on all winning bids on items ending this year -- all they have to do is request SunCat's Holiday Treet with their acknowledgment email and they can simply deduct that amount from their payment. Thank you very much, and I wish you and yours a purrrrrrfectly Happy and Joyous EASTER and PASSOVER!