JUST SAYIN’-It is so significant that two of the most holy days in Judaism and Christianity--Passover (Pesach) and Easter (Pascua)--occur essentially at the same time each Spring [depending on the Judaic lunar calendar and the more commonly used Christian/Gregorian(previously Julian/Western calendar.
I think we all know the oft-repeated history of Passover. After Joseph was sold into slavery by his brethren, he wound up in Egypt and eventually rose to prominence there (and even married outside his religion—hence an early example of religiously mixed marriage). Shortly thereafter, his father, Jacob, and the rest of the Hebrew population--people who were in great want … an ethnic group referred to as Israelites and only much later as the Yehudim (the Jewish people) … were invited to reside in Egypt where they prospered.
They were welcome until they were not welcome. As the Hebrew population grew to significantly larger numbers, Pharaoh and his legions felt threatened that these “strangers from a strange land” might attempt to overthrow the Egyptians. The eventual “solution” was to enslave and gravely mistreat the entire tribe.
As the story goes, Moses came along and under God’s command, demanded deliverance from slavery for the Israelites. Plagues were brought down upon the Egyptians in an effort to persuade Pharaoh into freeing the downtrodden community. In the end, the tenth plague convinced him to allow their release. The Israelites, however, were so afraid that Pharaoh would go back on his word (which he did), that they fled Egypt and did so, so quickly that their bread did not have time to rise properly—hence we have what is today called matzo, unleavened bread.
Skipping forward to the time of Jesus, it was seder (a ceremonial observance on the first night of Passover) that this Jewish rabbinic leader was observing with his Apostles before that fateful Friday (think of Di Vinci’s magnificent mural in Milan of The Last Supper) and the ultimate Easter day. The matzo (symbolic of the famous Exodus) and red wine (the traditional symbol of joy and gladness used to give thanks for Israel’s redemption) were important elements of this meal.
Found in Luke 22 in the New Testament, Jesus shared the following with his followers: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you. . . .” He drank wine from his goblet (think Holy Grail) and broke bread, saying (depending on the version and I paraphrase), that these two nutriments represent my body and blood. You must take these in remembrance of me. I shall not eat or drink again until the end of times when the Messiah will appear again.
During the meal, four cups of wine are consumed and one is put aside for Elijah whose return presages that of the coming of the Messiah (whom Christians believe is Jesus and Muslims believe is an important prophet and Jews think of as a learnéd rabbi). The ancient Jewish people believed the Messiah was to be the literal incarnation of a political and military leader who would be able to bring harmony for the Jews (and others) and peace to the region. We are still waiting!
Elijah symbolizes the ingathering of the Jews, exiled throughout the devastating Diaspora, for the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty over Israel—a return to the land of their foreparents. A common refrain during the dispersion had always been “next year in Jerusalem.”
It has been long hoped that Jews would return, as an autonomous nation, to the land of their Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--(the word Israel has come to be equated with the Jewish people as a whole—even Jacob’s name was changed to Israel). After the final suffering of the Holocaust, the land of Israel came into being (only a sliver of what was formerly the much larger land of Palestine).
It is interesting that at the time of Jesus (and before), Jews served eggs at Jewish funerals--perhaps an explanation for the connection between the egg and Jesus’ death. Jews historically brought eggs to the Temple in Jerusalem, symbolic of Passover and sacrifice and, later, in memory of the Temple’s destruction in 70 A.C.E.
The seder is the Passover ceremony that Jewish people still celebrate and that Christians, in their own way, observe on the Maundy Thursday before Good Friday and the Easter Resurrection, essential to Christianity.
The two holidays are so intertwined that it is a wonder to me that these religions don’t celebrate them in a similar way. We certainly have more in common than differences. Our symbols, utilized to observe and memorialize these events, are essentially a reflection of each other.
However, there is a lighter side to the holidays too. . . .
For fun, the afikomen (a broken piece of matzo, eventually used as a dessert) is hidden early during the seder meal, and children later hunt for it and receive prizes after the hunt. It was designed as a way to keep the interest of the little ones during the long meal.
At Easter time, there is the eagerly anticipated Easter egg hunt. Just as Old Germany/the Netherlands created the character of St. Nick who brought gifts for the good little girls and boys at Christmastime, so did the Germans (and other Easter European ethnics) develop the story of the Easter Bunny/Rabbit/Hare.
The little guy, sometimes wearing human clothes, brought colored eggs and toys and other gifts for the children. The prolific rabbit, of course, is also a symbol of new life (think of how that idea relates to the Resurrection and the Second Coming).
In Sweden, probably due to the mistaken translation of certain words, the Easter bunny became the Easter Man and then the Easter Wizard. Children would dress as Easter Witches instead of seeking eggs hidden by the bunny.
Followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church usually dye Easter eggs red, the color of blood, reminding us of the sacrifice of Jesus and the renewal of life in springtime. Ukrainian egg designs even predate the emergence of Christianity (think of the later Russian Fabergé
eggs that are so richly designed and treasured).
It seems that the idea of the egg-laying bunny (hare) came to America with the Pennsylvania Dutch, but only the good children were gifted with them. Just think of all the festivities that we now have as a result.
Flowers bloom in Spring at the same time that animals procreate—thus both new growth and the egg are symbols of fertility. Green eggs, for many, represent new foliage after the death of winter (the symbolic end of things); these verdant-colored eggs also remind us of rebirth and renewal.
Perhaps we can now see more clearly that Passover and Easter are equally representative of birth (nativity), growth, death, and re-incarnation (resurrection)—the circle of life in anyone’s religion. It is time that we consider the essential meaning behind these celebrations and treasure the lessons that are intended for us to take away.
Just sayin’.
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding Dress and Other Poems, A Quick-and-Easy Reference to Correct Grammar and Composition and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 33
Pub: Apr 22, 2014
