The concept of Easter It has an extensive etymological route: from Hebrew it went to the Greek language, and from there to Latin until it became Easter. It is the denomination of a festivity that had a Hebrew origin and that, at present, is the celebration most important of Catholicism .
During Easter, which is the end of the Easter , the resurrection of Jesus Christ . The date Easter is variable and is located between the March 22 and the April 25th .
The various stages that culminate in Easter begin with the Lent , which is forty days of penance in preparation for Easter . This week, meanwhile, begins with the Palm Sunday (commemorates the entry of Christ to the city of Jerusalem ), he Holy Monday , he Holy Tuesday (Christ announces the impending betrayal of Judas ), Holy Wednesday (this betrayal is specified), Holy Thursday (the Last Supper ), Holy Friday (crucifixion and burial of Jesus ), Holy Saturday (the Easter vigil) and finally the Easter Sunday (the resurrection).
Beyond the religion , Easter brings other traditions linked to the pagan. As the Easter date coincides with the boreal spring, fertility is celebrated through eggs that symbolize such fertility. In many countries, therefore, people eat chocolate eggs which include, inside, candies and toys for children.
Chocolate seems to be the food by excellence during Easter, regardless of the religion prevailing in each country and the personal beliefs of each individual. Although in countries like Spain, Brazil, Argentina and the United States it is celebrated in a similar way, in Malaysia, for example, Easter does not occupy an important place since the majority of the population is Muslim; However, it is known that they consume large amounts of chocolate on this date.
Catalan children receive from their sponsors the cute easter, which, far from being an ape figure, can be an egg or a chocolate sculpture (it can be a structure such as a castle, or the image of a fashionable character in children's films). Their godmothers, on the other hand, give their nieces palms and palmons to their nephews so that they lead to bless the church and then they can eat the goodies that decorate them (palms and palm trees are decorated rods that are carried as scepters).
A curious custom associated with Easter is the prohibition of eating beef or poultry during Good Friday, since in some regions the consumption of fish. The idea of abstinence is based on making a sacrifice to respect the surrender of Jesus Christ, in rejecting delicacies, as a symbol of gratitude for all his suffering in pursuit of our salvation. That said, the main point of the restriction is not what foods should not be eaten, but that delicious dishes are not prepared.
It is important to remember that in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere Easter comes along with the first days of heat, so the activities that are carried out around it are very different from those of the hemisphere South. One of the activities of the former consists of hiding decorated eggs between plants and trees, so that children can look for them later. In the South, on the other hand, the most normal is to spend time at home with the family, although many take the opportunity to vacation in warm places.
It should be noted that, according to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) , Easter it is written with an initial capital letter when referring to the period that begins with the nativity of Christ and it even reaches Kings .
