..... Happy Easter. Sretan Uskrs. Buona Pasqua. The history, customs and art.

0 

L'Ultima Cena di Danieleima Cena di Daniele Crespi, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milano

Easter is the time of the Christian year when the Christians  remember the Death and Resurection of Jesus. Due to Holly Bible, Jesus is the son of God, and he died for everyone's wrong-doings, and come back to life  three days later to defeat death and evil, and those who believe in Him will live forever  in Heaven.

The word 'Easter' comes from two old pagan spring festivals. The old European pagan festival of 'Ostara' that celebrated new life and Arabian Sun festival of 'Ishtar'.

The Passover festival dates from about 4,000 years ago when Jewish people remember that God saved them from slavery in Egypt. Jesus was a Jew and so celebrated the Passover. Passover takes place in the first month of the Jewish New Year (14-15 of the month of Nisan). The Jewish calendar follows the cycle of the moon, so the date changes a bit every year.

The date of Easter change every year,  because the Church calendar follows the moon, Easter Day can be on any Sunday from March 22nd to April 25th!, and it's always on the first Sunday after the first full moon on 21st or later, but if you wish to know the next Easter days in the future you can find the date out with this https://www.whyeaster.com/customs/dateofeaster.shtml

Easter custom is similar all over the world, and the people usually used the food, animals and others to express their love and respect to this Christian festivity.  One of them are Eggs & Chicks, and  they are often associated with.

In Pagan times, they were signs of Fertility and New Life. The Early Christians took over the meaning of New Life because it helped them remember the Resurrection and having New Life through Jesus.

Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs,^[1] are  decorated eggs that are usually used as gifts on the occasion of Easter. Easter eggs are common during the season of Easter season. The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs,  chocolate eggs wrapped in colourful foil,  plastic eggs filled with confctionary  such as chocolate. 

In Christianity eggs, in general, are a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth, Easter eggs  simbolize thr empty tomb of Jesus, resurrected. One  ancient tradition was the staining of Easter eggs with the colour red "in memory of the  blood of Christ, and this custom can be traced to Early Christians of Mesopotamia, than spread into Russia, Siberia through  the Orthodox Churches, and later into Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches.This Christian use of eggs may have been influenced by practices in "pre-dynastic period in Egypt, as well as amid the early cultures of Mesopotamia and Crete". Red coloured Easter egg with Christian cross, from the Saint Kosmas Aitolos Greek Orthodox Monastery,

A decorated ostrihttps egg with Punic artwork. 

Here  I want to mention the goldsmith Faberge and his eggs,  are jeweled eggs created of a House of Fabberge and all were manufactured under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé between 1885 and 1917... more on Fabberge eggs wikipedia.

In Russia, during the early years of the 20th century, the former Royal rulers Czar Alexander III and Czar Nicholas II had some very special Easter Eggs made for them by the jeweller Carl Fabergé.

The first egg was a gift from Alexander III to his wife, was made of gold and white enamel. Inside the egg was a golden yolk containing a golden hen with ruby eyes. Inside the hen was a tiny golden crown.  The Czarsaid that every Easter, Fabergé should make the Czarina a special egg. The design of the egg was left up to Fabergé, but each egg had to have a surprise in it.

One amazing egg celebrated the opening of the Trans-Siberian railway. It was made of solid silver, with a map of the train route on it. The stations were marked with precious Jewels, and inside was a gold clockwork train!

Eggs painted boiled in the onions peel

In some countries, egg hunts take place over Easter. Eggs are hidden around a house or garden and children have to find them. Sometimes they are told that the eggs were hidden by the Easter Hare or Bunny.

Egg rolling races are held all over the world on Easter Monday. Eggs are rolled down a hill or slope and the first one to reach the bottom that hasn't broken is the winner. There is also an egg-knocking game is played in lots of countries including France, Germany, Norway and Syria. The game is played with hard boiled ones and is a bit like the game of 'conkers'. The object of the game is to hit everyone else's egg and to keep your own one unbroken. The last player with a whole egg is declared the winner.

Chocolate Eggs have replaced wooden ones now and are certainly a lot nicer to eat!

  or Easter dove, the Easter pastry (the counterparty to Panettone for Christmas).,  traditional Italian desert.

and finaly our meals and sweetes for the Easter holiday, where the recipies are similar in their elementary ingredients and than have "one hundred"  addings called the secret of the Cheff.

ingredients. 

  http://www.bpw.hr/attachments/article/300/Krostula-recept.pdf  by Dragica Lukin 

Mrs. Dragica Lukin and his son.
With dear friend from Palermo, Sicily (forum http://isolacreativa.forumfree.it/), I had a nice Easter Swap,  so with these images I wish to all folower and visitors and non a Happy Easter.  Thanks dear Rosa. http://ilfilochecrea.blogspot.it/  

The chocolete disapeared on the same day.  The book of recipies and the afternoon coffe

Happy Easter

Sretan Božić. Buon Natale. Merry Christmas.

Silent Night, Holly Night.
 Lirics  (1816.) Reverend Joseph Mohr. Music by Franz Xaver Gruber on Christma's Eve  1818.  
First performance on Christma's Eve.,  the 24 December 1818. during the Christmas Eve mass, the Saint Nicolas Church, Oberndorf, Salzburg. The performers were the authors.The Reverend sang and played with guitar, Gruber played bass.




Merry Christmas to Evrybody.

San ljetne noći. Midsummer night's dream Witchcraft. Ivanjski krijesovi. Sveti Ivan Krstitelj. St John the Baptist.

Midsummer, also known as St John's Day, is the period of time centred upon the summer solstice, more specifically the Nothern European celebration that accompany summer solstice, or take place on a day between June 19 and June 25 and the preceding evening. The Christian Church designated June the 23 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr St John the Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day  begins the evening before, known as St John's Eve. 

These are commemorated by many Christian denominations. The concentration of the observance is not on the day as we reckon it, commencing at midnight or at dawn, as it is customary for cultures following lunar calendars to place the beginning of the day on the previous eve at dusk at the moment when the Sun has set.In Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Estonia, Midsummer's Eve is the greatest festival of the year, comparable only with Walpurgis Night, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.

   The Jordan river and St John And now about the customs is some splace all over the world.
Ancient Romans would hold a festival to honor the god Summanus on June 20. As Christianity entered pagan areas, midsummer celebrations came to be often borrowed and transferred into new Christian holidays, often resulting in celebrations that mixed Christian traditions with traditions derived from pagan Midsummer festivities.
Let us speak of the revels which are accustomed to be made on St. John's Eve, of which there are three kinds.
 On St. John's Eve in certain regions the boys collect bones and certain other rubbish, and burn them, and there from a smoke is produced on the air. They also make brands and go about the fields with the brands. Thirdly, the wheel which they roll.  

Fire

Fire is the most typical element associated with the Saint John's Eve celebration. In many countries, such as Croatia, bonfires are lit on the evening of 23 June for people to jump over.

Austria

In Austria the midsummer solstice is celebrated each year with a spectacular procession of ships down the Danube River as it flows through the wine-growing Wachau Valley just north of Vienna. Up to 30 ships sail down the river in line as fireworks erupt from the banks and hill tops while bonfires blaze and the vineyards are lit up. Lighted castle ruins also erupt with fireworks during the 90-minute cruise downstream.

Ireland

Many towns and cities have 'Midsummer Carnivals' with fairs, concerts and fireworks either on or on the weekend nearest to Midsummer. In rural spots particularly the northwest, bonfires are lit on hilltops. This tradition harks back to pagan times and is now associated with "St. John's Night". The Irish Environmental Protection Agency, after much initial upset in the west of Ireland, has an exemption for the burning of fires outdoors during midsummer night. Traditionally the longest day of the year in Ireland falls on June 21.

I In Croatia the feast is called Ivanje (Ivan being being for John). It is celebrated on June 23, mostly in rural areas. Festivals celebrating Ivanje are held across the country. According to the tradition, bonfires (Ivanjski krijesovi) are built on the shores of lakes, near rivers or on the beaches for the young people to jump over the flames. 

In Italy there is the San Giovanni's day (Saint John).

Italy
The feast of Saint John the Baptist has been celebrated in Florence from medieval times, and certainly in the Renaissance, with festivals sometimes lasting three days from 21 to 24 June. Such celebrations are held nowadays in Cesena from June 21 to 24, also with a special street market. Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Genoa, Florence and Turin where a fireworks display takes place during the celebration on the river. In Turin Saint John's cult is also diffused since medieval times when the city stops to work for two days and people from the surroundings comes to dance around the bonfire in the central square. Nowadays Saint John is the patron saint of Turin and he is celebrated on June 24 which is a city public holiday.
Italian neopagans usually celebrates the Mid Summer with rites, dances and festivals all around the country.

 In Slovenia s so called Kresna noč used to be celebrated on June 21., but during Jugoslavia holiday was changed with maj. 1, international workers day. Kresna noč used to be connected with Slavic god Kresnik, who was later replaced by St. John the Baptist.

And lets finished whit Shakespeare and his  A Midsummer Night's Dream,  a comedy play, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1597. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.

Photos and quotes.

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” 

 “The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.”

 

“Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania”  

“Ay me! for aught that ever I could read,
could ever hear by tale or history,
the course of true love never did run smooth.”  

 

“Up and down, up and down
I will lead them up and down
I am feared in field in town
Goblin, lead them up and down” 

PUCK 

 If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream 

“And yet, even when all was well, as Shakespeare said, that ends well, did they say ‘Hey, Kendra, we understand that you made a noble effort. Why not come to the palace for some champagne sometime?’ Noooooo. They’re all, ‘Get thee from our kingdom, witch, or it’s the guillotine.” They’re lucky I didn’t turn them into talking swine.”
― Alex Flinn Bewitching