The  story of Easter in all its glory has been told and retold  countless  times  during the past 2000 years,  starting with the chronicles   of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Along the way, these tales have been  adorned with a wealth of folklore and legend,  thus making myth and  symbol  play an important part  in [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

The symbolism of Easter

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The  story of Easter in all its glory has been told and retold  countless  times  during the past 2000 years,  starting with the chronicles   of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Along the way, these tales have been  adorned with a wealth of folklore and legend,  thus making myth and  symbol  play an important part  in the narration of Christ’s  resurrection.

Down  the ages, symbols have come into sharp focus, and in this day and age, serve  to pinpoint  the significance of the Easter season  for all of us.  “Except a corn of wheat falls into the ground  and dies, it  abideth  alone;but if it dies,  it bringeth forth much  fruit”.

In  these simple words, Christ summed up the fact that life depends on death   and resurrection. Christ was crucified on Passover Day. This important  feast in the Jewish calendar was observed in thanksgiving for the deliverance  of the Israelites  the night before they fled  from Egypt.

In  the Hebrew tradition, food shared together has always been in itself  a  pledge of friendship and loyalty. The traditional table is laid   with  symbolic foods, and the stirring story of the Exodus of the children of  Israel from Egypt  is read, so that the Jewish people re-live their  ancestors’  dramatic flight  from Egyptian bondage. Pride of place  on the table goes to the Matzo  or unleavened bread  called the  bread of affliction , because the Israelites had left   in such haste   that their women had no time  to leaven the bread. Then comes the  roasted lamb to commemorate the sacrifice  made by the Israelites in  Egypt  before leaving for the Promised Land , a roasted egg to symbolise  mourning  for the destroyed Temple. Moror, or bitter herbs dipped in  vinegar, as a reminder of the bitterness of Israel’s slavery in Egypt.  Charoseth made of chopped almonds, grated apple, figs, dates, wine, sugar and  cinnamon to symbolize the mortar with which the Jews were forced to lay  bricks for Pharoah, and which was the colour of common brick, and salt water,  symbolizing the Red Sea that parted miraculously to let the Israelites  escape.

In the Old World, little or no work was done on Good Friday.  Household chores such as weaving  and laundering were taboo. It was  believed to be a good day to graft fruit trees. No self respecting  blacksmith  would drive a nail  because of the use  to which  hammer and nails  were put on Good Friday. Iron, so tradition goes,  should not be driven into the ground , for the same reason. The Egg was  a symbol of the creation of the world. The Phoenix represented  the  Risen Christ. It was chosen for the  belief  that it died and came  to life again.

On  Easter Eve, people gather in a darkened church  to remind them of Christ   in the tomb, as they witness  the making of light  when new  fire  is kindled. Once the flame is made, the Paschal Candle is lit,  followed by the lighting of other candles in the church. These candles,  symbols of Christ as the maker of light, provide an aura of glory  that  makes  a profound impression on the faithful, as they wait through the  night, watching for the dawn.

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