Easter is the most colourful and joyful festival for Christians. It falls in the glorious season of Spring — a time to celebrate new life. Read on to know everything about it and the colours associated with the day…
Many Christians celebrate Easter Sunday as the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is written in the New Testament of the Christian bible. If you celebrate Easter, you will be aware of the holiday’s traditions, including the Easter bunny, gifting Easter baskets, going on egg hunts and dyeing eggs. Eggs in particular are a symbol of fertility and rebirth. So it is not surprising to see eggs associated with Easter.
According to the Gospel of John in the New Testament, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb where Jesus was buried and saw that it was empty. An angel told her that Jesus had risen.
There are several legends where Mary Magdalene plays a key role in the creation of the egg-dying tradition. There are many theories on why Easter eggs are dyed in different colours too. One version involves Mary Magdalene’s trip to Jesus’ tomb three days after his crucifixion. It is believed that she carried a basket of cooked eggs to share with the other women who was going to mourn at the tomb. When she arrived to find the stone rolled away from the entrance and the tomb empty, the eggs in her basket is believed to have turned a wonderful shade of red.
There is an ancient tradition of staining the Easter eggs with the colour red in memory of the blood of Christ, shed during the time of the crucifixion. However, the Easter colours are very traditional pastel shades of pink, blue, green, yellow and light purple.
Some Christian churches even celebrate Easter at a different time from others. Interestingly, before the Easter festival began, other festivals were held at this time of the year. From Iran, across North Africa and into Europe, people celebrated the newness of Spring. Some of the customs have survived till date. They fit in well with the Christian celebration of new life at Easter.
Hope you found this article informative. Have a Happy Easter!
