Catholics worldwide observe Easter on April 9,
\n2023. The consecrated days for Christianity’s greatest feast, for those of Orthodox
\nand Catholic persuasion, do not always coincide. In 2023, the two persuasions’ observation
\nof Easter falls one week apart. How can we explain that?<\/p>\n
\n
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After the Great Schism of the Cristian Church, in
\n1054, more often than not, the Easter is observed one week apart. The weeklong
\nlag is explained through the fact that, beginning 1582, The Orthodox Church
\nuses the Julian Calendar, while the Catholics divide the year according to the
\nGregorian calendar. Therefore, the catholic Easter date is calculated according
\nto the ecclesiastical fool Moon, in keeping with the ecclesiastical tables, as
\nagainst the astronomic event of the Spring Equinox. <\/p>\n
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The director of the Constantin Br\u0103iloiu Ethnography and Folklore Institute
\nin Bucharest, Sabina Ispas, will be giving us the details:<\/p>\n
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Talks were held, focusing on
\nresumption, while afterwards the ecumenic councils decided the calculation of
\nthe Easter date. It is a floating date since it is calculated according to the
\nphases of the Moon. Thus, the old calculation system is preserved, of the old
\nfeast of the Judaic Easter, a timeframe when, historically speaking, the events
\noccurred, or so it seems. That is why Palm Sunday, but also Easter
\nhave a volatile date. They do have a limit, as a rule. What we’re interested in
\nis the maximum limit it as to the day it may fall on, this year being in early May.<\/p>\n
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In certain regions across Romania, mostly in Ardeal
\nand Banat, the Roman-Catholic Easter is observed by the Hungarian and German
\ncommunities according to a century-old tradition. Apart from the all too familiar
\ndishes, red-painted eggs, mutton, pound cake and red wine, the Roman-Catholics
\nin Transylvania observe specific traditions. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An ethnologist with the North University
\nin Baia Mare, Delia Suiogan will now be speaking about the significance of the
\nfestive dinner on the Resurrection Day. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
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We have the candlelight, the Light we
\nreceive at midnight, on the night of Saturday to Sunday. We have the lamb as
\nsupreme sacrifice, which embodies Jesus. This ritual gesture in fact signifies
\nthe rebirth of man and his right to resurrection. Likewise, Jesus Christ’s
\ntomb. Through its symbolic capacity of signifying the primeval food and seed,
\nthe egg reminds of man’s right to start a new cycle all over again, to participate
\nin recosmicization.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Catholic Christians in Transylvania observe the
\ntradition of adorning fir-trees at the gates of the unwed girls, sprinkling them
\nwith water and perfume, just like on the pre-Christian times. In Mures County,
\nthe groups of those sprinkling the girls roam the villages, yet Easter gains
\nits austere touch during the religious feast proper:<\/p>\n
\n
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Delia Suiogan:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In Catholic Easter, sprinkling is enacted, a ritual the Orthodox
\nin Transylvania have borrowed. And, since the cultural layers always have their
\nown impact on the progress of any civilization, a beautiful encounter occurred,
\nto that end. All Catholic Christians
\nin the traditional communities observe this custom that entered via Germanic
\nconnection. On the first and second day of Easter they sprinkle one another. In
\nthe beginning, they sprinkled each other with water, as a sign of purification.
\nThis sprinkling hails from the pre-Christian times, obviously, originating in a
\nritual imposed by Ostera, the goddess of fertility and rebirth. On those feast
\ndays, all had to sprinkle each other with water, mutually, as a purification
\nritual, but also as a fertility one. Today, Catholic Christians sprinkle each
\nother with perfume, as an extension of fertility towards spiritual rebirth, the
\nfragrance of the perfume having that effect of redressing, of annihilating the
\nevil, the rottenness, as well as an effect of instating a state of order,
\nthrough the rebalancing of the cosmic states.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It was also the Roman-Catholics who
\nintroduced, in the tradition, the chocolate figurines representing Easter symbols.
\nThe chocolate bunny or the chocolate egg are equally allegories of fertility,
\nbeing offered to children on Easter day. Also, the Easter sweets have been
\nborrowed in the orthodox space. Today, the window frames of all cafeterias are
\nreplete with chocolate bunnies, with chocolate eggs the bunny brings children. Again, via Germanic connection, we submit to
\nthe cult of the same goddess, Ostera. Legend has it that the goddess, as she
\nwas roaming the plains, ran into a bird with broken wings. A divine voice tells
\nOstera that, should she succeed to turn the bird into an animal that doesn’t need
\nto fly, then the bird will survive, so the goddess turns the bird into a rabbit
\nthat can nonetheless lay eggs. So once a year, the bird turned she-rabbit gives
\nthe goddess the painted eggs, as a sign of rebirth in a different way. The colored
\neggs are, therefore, a reward of kindness. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Catholic Easter Customs and traditions observed in Transylvania and Banat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":123226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44685],"tags":[36667,29008,44981,45184,45183,45182,45185],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-164315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-of-culture","tag-catholics","tag-easter","tag-eggs","tag-fertility","tag-goddess","tag-ostera","tag-rebirth"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n