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The Easter message - why do we celebrate Easter?

The Easter message - is it important? We are not religious, so maybe the message of Easter is not so important to us. At the same time, I think faith and traditions are a very interesting topic. The Christian Easter is celebrated in memory of the resurrection of Jesus, but long before we became Christians in Sweden, there was a tradition of celebrating the sun and fertility in connection with the arrival of spring. Today, the traditions seem to consist of a wild mix ...

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The Christian Easter message

Christian Easter commemorates the fact that Jesus suffered on the cross, died and then rose again so that believers could be forgiven for their sins and receive eternal life. Throughout the Christian world, Easter is a family celebration, but otherwise the celebrations differ somewhat.

While we in Sweden are painting eggs or dressing up as Easter Bunnies, in Spain, people are going to long processions to remind us of the suffering and resurrection of Jesus.

Påskens budskap - varför firar vi påsk egentligen?
Easter in Spain

The Jewish Passover - Pesach

What about the Jewish Easter, Pesach? The Jews don't even believe in Jesus, so why do they celebrate Easter? Well, they celebrate the memory of the exodus from Egypt around 1500 BC. That was the night the Passover lamb was slaughtered and the archangel spared the people of Israel.

During Pesach, only unleavened bread is eaten, as the flight from Egypt did not allow the bread to ferment. And it is the word "pesach" (pass) that gave rise to our word "Easter" ...

Traditions at Easter

The Easter carrots probably originates from folklore about witches, who were believed to come from Blåkulla. Easter fires have been known in Sweden since the 18th century and are believed to have come from Holland as a trick to scare away the Easter carnivores.

None of this has much to do with the Easter message, if we think it is related to Jesus' suffering and death. The Easter rice, on the other hand, could possibly be linked to the palm leaves that were scattered in front of Jesus as he marched into Jerusalem.

Why do we celebrate Easter?

Although Christianity celebrates Easter to commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus, the traditions seem to be mixed in many ways, and I choose to see it as the celebration of spring. It may still be cold, but light and warmth are coming, and that's worth celebrating!

Påskris
Easter rice among the houseboats in the marina where we live

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