WORTHINGTON -- Today is Maundy Thursday; tomorrow is Good Friday; and Sunday is Easter Sunday. Christians who attend church regularly are certainly familiar with those terms, but where do those unique names comes from and what do they mean?
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. The word "Maundy" is derived from the Latin mandate meaning "command," a reference to Christ's commandment to love one another, made at the Last Supper (the day before the crucifixion) when Jesus washed the disciples' feet.
In other countries, Good Friday is known as Great Friday, Holy Friday and Long Friday. Nobody seems too clear on the origin of "Good" Friday. Some sources say it is from "God's Friday." Although it may seem strange to commemorate Jesus' death and call it "Good," Christian scholars today point out that the greatest good of all -- salvation -- resulted from Jesus' death on the cross.
The exact origin of Easter is also unknown, although it is believed that Easter's name in English and other Germanic languages is said to derive from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess, who was associated with spring and fertility.
The Easter season is a time of many traditions and symbols, some that originate from pagan rites of spring and many that have taken on new meanings through the Christian holiday. Here are explanations of some of the more common ones:
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EGGS: A symbol of fertility and immortality since ancient times, the egg has come to symbolize the rock tomb from which Jesus was resurrected.
BUNNY: German settlers supposedly brought the rabbit tradition -- "Oschter Haws" -- to America. The Pennsylvania Dutch prepared nests for him, and on Easter Eve, the rabbit laid his colored eggs in the nests in payment for their kindness. In other European traditions, it might be a cuckoo, lark, rooster, stork or fox that brings the eggs.
LILY: The white lily stands for purity and has come to be a sign of the resurrection. The lily grows from a bulb that is buried and the plant rises out of the ground.
LAMB: Especially important in central and eastern European countries, the lamb represents Jesus and relates His death to the lamb sacrificed on the first Passover. John the Baptist described Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Lamb has become a traditional Easter entrée.
BUTTERFLY: The butterfly's whole life cycle has come to symbolize the life of Jesus Christ: the caterpillar, Jesus' life on earth: cocoon stage, crucifixion and burial of Jesus; the butterfly, resurrection from the death and promise of eternal life.
HAM: The first recorded public blessing of an Easter Ham occurred in the 10th century. The pig has long been a symbol of good luck and prosperity among Europeans. The custom of eating pork was probably brought to America by European settlers.
HOT CROSS BUNS: Pagans who worshipped the goddess Eostre made small cakes, often decorated with a cross, as an offering during her spring festival. Today, hot cross buns are associated with Good Friday. Pretzels are another food associated in the past with the Lenten season: Their shapes suggest arms crossed in prayer.
NEW CLOTHES: Purchasing or making new clothes for Easter is a common custom among Christians. This tradition may have originated from an old practice of having newly baptized Christians wear white clothes for the Easter service. The new clothes represent the new life offered through Jesus' death and resurrection.
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CROSS: This, of course, is the most obvious symbol of the season, representing the instrument upon which Christ was crucified.
There are many other more obscure connections of animals and items to spring and the Easter festival. Since robins have begun to make their reappearance in our area, just in time for Easter, there's this tale that relates the bird to the season: Lore says the robin got his red breast during Jesus' walk to the crucifixion. The bird saw that a hawthorn has pierced the forehead of Christ, causing it to bleed. The bird flew down and plucked out the thorn, but as he did, a drop of Christ's blood fell on the little bird's breast, staining it red forever.
