THE LEGEND OF THE DOGWOOD TREE

Legend tells us that at the time of Jesus, the dogwood was a large strong tree much like the oak and the cedar.  It was used to make the cross on which Jesus died.

God, seeing His Son's suffering, promised that the dogwood tree would never again grow large enough to be used for such a terrible purpose.

Now, in memory of Christ's suffering, the blossoms are in the shape of a cross.  Each petal bears brown and red, to remind us of the nail prints and blood stains.  A crown of thorns graces the center of each blossom.

Each spring, when the dogwood bloom again, we are reminded of Christ's death and agony.  Because of the beauty of the dogwood we are reminded of the resurrection and eternal life.

The Lenten Season is preceded by the Mardi Gras -- one  last fling before a period of spiritual reflection, penance, and prayer known to the Christian community as Lent.

The last week of Lent,  Holy Week, starts with Palm Sunday.  It celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Holy Monday commemorates Jesus' cleansing of the temple.  Holy Tuesday recalls Jesus' description to his desciples, on the Mount of Olives, of the destruction of Jerusalem.  Holy Wednesday reminds us of Judas' decision to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.  Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion.  Good Friday is the remembrance of the Crucifixion.  Holy Week and the Lenten Season end with the celebration of Easter Sunday, the day of The Resurrection.  Easter Sunday (in Western Christianity) is the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 20, the Spring Equinox.  The Eastern Christian churches, closer to the birthplace of Christianity  where the old traditions were strong, observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival.

Prior to the establishment of Christianity, many Pagan societies celebrated spring festivals on or near the vernal equinox.  The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with ceremonies dedicated to their Goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre.  Many other early religions had similar periods of renewal and rebirth incorporating many symbols of fertility into the ceremonies.

Since the beginning of the celebration of Easter (the Feast of the Ascension) as a Christian festival in the second century, it has become a convergence of many traditions, cultural, ethnic, religious, to include Pagan, Christian and Jewish, especially those traditions held reverent to Passover.pPPassover.  Early Christian leaders must have known that it was far easier to encourage people to follow if their previous traditions were not  ridiculed, but incorporated into the new belief.

In the United States, Easter was not widely celebrated until after the Civil War.

EASTER SYMBOLS AND TRADITIONS

EASTER:  The most common belief regarding the name "Easter" is from the ancient Saxons and their Goddess Eastre.  Others believe that the Latin worrd "alba" which means "white" was given to the Resurrection festival because of the white robes worn by the celebrants.  When translated into some of the early Germanic languages, "osern" which means "sunrise" was used.  Since many of  Eastern traditions come from the Germanic peoples, there is some factual basis to this theory.

EASTER CANDLES:  Candles lit in churches during Easter week can trace their beginnings back to the Pagan customs of lighting bonfires at this time to welcome the rebirth/resurrection of the sun god.

HOT CROSS BUNS:  During the feast of Eosstre, the Saxon fertility Goddess, an ox was sacrificed.  The ox's horns became the symbol for the feast and were carved into the ritual bread used during the feast.  Later, the curved horns were straightened in the form of a cross to represent the Crucifixion. The word "bun" is derived from the Saxon word "boun" which means  "sacred Ox."

EASTER RABBIT AND EGGS:  The hare and the egg were the fertility symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara.  The popularization of the Easter Bunny came from the Germanic tribes and it was the Germans who brought the Easter Bunny to America in the 1700's.  Eggs as an item of celebration predate Christianity; many early cultures revered the egg as a symbol of rebirth.  Two of the most popular Easter-season games are the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll.

EASTER LILY:  The lily was celebrated by Pagans as a phallic symbol and associated with the reproductive organs.  It was an integral part of their springtime fertility and rebirth celebrations  Many consider the Easter lily as the symbol of the Virgin Mary, associated with love and marriage.  The Easter Lily is often used to decorate the churchs during  this time of year. During the Victorian era, the stamens and pistils were removed since they were seen as overt symbols of sexuality.

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE:  The ancient Pagan custom of welcoming the sun god at the vernal equinox was celebrated at a sunrise ceremony.  Many ancient cultural springtime celebrations commenced at sunrise.

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