The Difference Between “Easter” and “Eastertide”

If asked, most people would say that the celebration of Easter in religious traditions lasts for one day – namely, Easter Sunday. Some may be aware of Good Friday, traditionally the Friday before Easter Sunday, and the day when Christ was crucified. Very few, unless they are religious, will be aware that like Christmas, Easter is more a period of time than a specific day.

Easter is, in fact, a very long period of time. The entire passage of time is best known as Eastertide, which encompasses individual worship days through from Easter Sunday up until Pentecost Sunday and all of the other relatively familiar Easter named days. Eastertide actually lasts for seven weeks rather than a single weekend; more specifically, for seven Sundays. The seventh Sunday is sometimes known as Whitsun, and concludes the Eastertide period.

The most significant worship day to occur during Eastertide is Ascension Day. Scripture says that Jesus was crucified on what is now Good Friday, and was resurrected from the dead on Easter Sunday. He then remained on earth for forty days, before finally departing to take his place in Heaven at the right hand of God on what is now called Ascension Day. During these 40 days between his resurrection and Ascension Day, Jesus spoke with his disciples and informed them of their future roles in his Ministry.

Ascension Day is, as mentioned, exactly 40 days after Easter Sunday. This day, however, is always a Thursday – so many churches postpone the celebrate of Christ’s Ascension to the following Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, and conclude Eastertide at this point instead.

Easter Movies

Of all the movies that could possibly be associated with Easter, Mel Gibson’s epic “The Passion of the Christ” is undoubtedly the most famous – or, some would argue, infamous.

The film, made in 2004, details the final events of Jesus’ life – from his arrest to his execution. These events are taken directly from the bible, and are commonly referred to as “The Passion” – from which the film takes its name.

While there have been numerous Easter movies about the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, ‘The Passion of the Christ’ took things a step further. First and foremost, the dialogue is conducted entirely in Aramaic – the original language spoken in Bible times, which has since died out. As a result, the film had to be subtitled.

However, the main difference from usual Easter movies was the violence that the film portrayed. Jesus the character is shown first being brutally flogged, and then his execution on the cross is particularly difficult to watch. Gibson claimed the excessive amounts of blood and other cruel scenes were done to show what Jesus really suffered through, so that people could understand and appreciate the meaning of Easter.

While Gibson’s intentions may have been good, the violent scenes nevertheless do not make family-friendly viewing at Easter time. There are also accusations of anti-Semitism within the film, and historians have criticised the usage of poorly-constructed Aramaic.

For a more cheerful Easter movie that also depicts the Passion of Christ (in it’s own way), one option is “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”. This lighthearted Easter movie switches Jesus from the starring role, and introduces an unknown named “Brian” as the central character in the crucifixion story – and is well worth watching.

A Quick Guide To Easter Flowers

As Easter is associated with spring time, it has also become the holiday period most associated with flowers. Floral gifts, tributes and decorations are all central to Easter celebrations in both religious and secular cultures, and beautiful floral blooms add something special to what is often a quiet holiday.

The most well known of the Easter flowers is the lily. This is a tradition that comes directly from scripture; according to the Bible, when Jesus was crucified, drops of his blood fell to the ground. Wherever the blood fell, lilies sprouted and bloomed to mark his passing and eternal imprint on the earth. Interestingly, many people who enjoy lilies at Easter may not even be aware of where this association with lilies and Easter comes from.

While the lily is universally popular as a Easter flower, different countries and regions have their own recognisable Easter flowers. In the United Kingdom, the pussy willow is a favourite, as its soft, felt like buds inspire thoughts of new life and the coming of spring.

In Germany and other Western European countries, any flower that is red in colour is frequently used as an Easter flower. The reasons behind this vary, though one continued suggestion is that in Catholicism, red is the colour of a martyr – and Jesus is perhaps the most recognisable martyr of all. The red may also symbolise the agony and blood of the Passion of Christ.

Some cultures also emphasize the type of receptacle that Easter flowers are displayed in. Against usual usage, Easter flowers are best displayed in ceramic or pot holders rather than the standard glass.