复活节的英文资料

Easterisaconvergenceofthreetraditions.Pagan,HebrewandChristian.AlthoughtheobservanceofEasterwasataveryearlyperiodinthepracticeoftheChristianchurch,aseriousdifferenceastothedayforitsobservancesoonarosebetweentheChristiansofJewish,andthoseofGentiledescent,whichledtoalongandbittercontroversy.

PaganOrigins

ThePaganoriginsoftheholidayaccordingtoaVenerableBede,Englishhistorianoftheearly8thcentury,thenameEaster,likethenameofthedaysoftheweek,isasurvivalfromtheoldTeutonicmythology.AccordingtoBedeitisderivedfromtheNorseOstaraorEostre,theAnglo-Saxongoddessofspring,towhomthemonthofApril,andcalledEostur-monath,wasdedicated.TheGreekmyth,DemeterandPersephone,withitsLatincounterpart,CeresandPersephone,conveystheideaofagoddessreturningseasonallyfromthenetherregionstothelightofday.Thisisinconjunctionwiththefestivalofspring,orvernalequinox,March21,whennatureisinresurrectionafterwinter.

Theoriginoftherabbiticon,orEasterBunny,comesfromthefactthatrabbitsarenotablefortheircapacityofabundantproductionofyoungespeciallyatthistimeofyear.TheuseofEastereggs,hasitsrootsinthecharacteristicofeggslaidingreatnumbersinthespringbeingcoloredlikeraysofthereturningsunandthenorthernlightsorauroraborealis.ThereisalsoalongtraditionofdecoratingEastereggsandgivingthematEaster.SeeTheHistoryofEasterEggsformoreinformationaboutthistradition.

HebrewOrigins

Themonth(April),Bedesays,wasthesameasthemensispaschalis,"whentheoldfestivalwasobservedwiththegladnessofanewsolemnity"Therootpasch,fromwhichsomanyothernamesforEasterarederived,isfromtheHebrewpesach(Passover)fromtheverbform"hepassedover."InExodusXIIwereadofthenightinEgyptwhentheangelofdeath"passedover"thedwellingsoftheIsraelites,sosparingtheirfirst-born.Hence,thePassoverorJewishPesach,celebratedduringNisan,thefirstmonthoftheHebrewyear.

ChristianOrigins

ItwasatthefeastofthePassoverinJerusalemthatJesus,aJew,wascrucifiedandrosefromthedead.AnameforEaster,therefore,isPasch,invariousspellings,andchurchesthroughouttheEastandWestcelebrateEasterasamajorfeastrankingwithChristmas,witnessthe"hotcrossbun"orboondistributedamongthefaithful.