5 Beautiful Things
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This new feature is designed to inspire you to look at the world around you, to take note of the season at hand and to capture it – in memory or on film – for posterity. I will be choosing five photos each week for Beekman1802.com with this aim in mind. We're calling the feature, The Five Most Beautiful Things In The World This Week
EASTER 101
Strictly speaking, Easter is a Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion by the Romans. It is the oldest Christian celebration and the most sacred holy day on the Christian calendar.
The many Easter traditions we observe today, however, have a variety of origins: some of them religious, some of them secular. In the tradition of a good old-fashioned Easter-egg hunt, I thought I'd do some digging to uncover some of the origins of these traditions upon which I've based this week's photo selection, below.
DETERMINING THE DATE OF EASTER:
In simplest terms, Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, or March 21. However, the actual determination of the date of Easter is far more complicated, based on more than a thousand years of Christian and astrological interpretation.
The full moon associated with the Spring Equinox is actually the Easter moon (or Paschal moon) which is based on 84-year Paschal cycles, established by the church in the sixth century. Paschal moons rarely correspond to the astronomical full moon, so complex calculations that factor the arrival of both moons could mean an Easter holiday anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
THE EASTER BUNNY:
The myth of the Easter Bunny, also known as Oschter Haws and Peter Cottontail, originated in Germany in the 1500s, though the symbol of the rabbit likely played a part in folk traditions associated with spring long before then. The Pennsylvania Dutch brought the story of the Easter Bunny to the United States in the 1700s. A gift-giving trickster, the Easter Bunny delighted children with his treats, which were originally breads, small cakes or bouquets of flowers.
THE EASTER EGG:
Cultures around the world have revered the egg, not only for its perfect shape and versatility, but also for its meaning. The egg has always been the most important symbol of spring, inferring fertility, femininity, growth, renewal and the cycle of life itself. The tradition of the Easter egg hunt began in medieval Europe when villagers would pluck colorful birds' eggs from nests and coops and then hide them outdoors for the children to find. They would be gathered in baskets and would then be eaten at a spring ceremony, which eventually became associated with Easter celebrations. Slavic and Germanic cultures eventually began to decorate the eggs using a variety of artistic techniques incorporating dyes and waxes. These were given as gifts to family and friends at Eastertime. Thus, the pretty, colorful Easter egg was born.
CHOCOLATE AND EASTER:
The first edible Easter Bunnies were made out of chocolate in the 1800s by German bakers. Elaborate, fanciful iron molds in the shapes of rabbits, hens and eggs would form tempered chocolate into beautiful shapes. (These molds are extremely collectible today.) The confections were given as gifts to children and sweethearts on Easter Sunday. German immigrants to North America brought this tasty tradition with them.
THE EASTER BONNET
The first Easter bonnets were actually spring ceremonial headdresses worn by women in medieval European cultures, usually made from a wreath of twigs and flowers. The Easter Bonnet made its debut in North America after the Civil War in 1865 when mothers, daughters and wives of lost soldiers adorned themselves with brightly-colored hats filled with flowers and blooming twigs, ending their period of mourning as the Easter holiday approached. If fresh flowers were not available, the women would craft them out of paper, fabric, feathers and seashells.
THE EASTER LILY:
This holiday flower (Lilium Longiforum) is native to the Ryuku Islands of southern Japan. Lilies are mentioned numerous times in the Bible and white lilies, in particular, impart a sense of innocence, purity and reflection. It is said that white lilies were found growing in the garden of Gethsemane after Christ's crucifixion, springing up where drops of his blood had fallen. Today, 95% of all lilium-longiforum bulbs grown are produced by just ten farms in the United States on a narrow coastal region straddling the California-Oregon border.
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Photos:
1. Collectible egg cups from the 1940s, Martha Stewart Living, April 2002
2. Easter Lily garland, BHLDN.com
3. A variation on an Easter bonnet, BHLDN.com
4. Portrait of a hare (photographer unknown)
5. Pysanky Easter eggs (limilee.tumblr.com)
Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted Martha-Stewart related content and her community of supporters. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and has been a longtime friend of Brent & Josh, Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs. Each week he'll scour the world (wide web) to find the 5 most beautiful things to inspire you. Follow Andrew on Pinterest.
