8 - Sunday, April 15, 1990 - North Shore News SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING Easter traditions have pagan, Jewish origins EASTER, WHICH is be- ing celebrated today by Christians all over the world, is a festival that celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection after his crucifixion on Good Fri- day. By PEGGY TRENDELL-WHITTAKER News Reporier But many of the traditions associated with Easter have their roots in religious practices that had little to do with Christianity. The name, ‘‘Easter,’’ for ex- ample, comes from Eostre, the Saxon goddess of spring. In early Europe, spring festivals were held in her honor, but during the cen- turies following Christ’s death, Christian elements were gradually incorporated into these feast days under the influence of Christian missionaries. In fact, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that a cen- tralized Christian church had the force necessary to stamp out the pagan worship still taking place in the countryside. But pagan elements remain in our current-day Easter traditions. One of Eostre’s ‘‘familiars,’* or symbolic animals, was the hare. The moon had long been associated with females and god- desses because of its monthly cy- cle. Because Celts could see the image of a hare on the face of the moon, similar to our man in the moon, the hare also became associated with the goddess Eostre. This hare — now our Easter Bunny — was said to bring eggs to good children for ther to eat at the annual spring festival. Another legend holds that Eostre had a large, handsome bird that she changed to a rabbit in a fit of pique. The rabbit would build a nest and fill ic with colorful eggs each NEWS nor Nelt Lucente THE EASTER Bunny and Easter Eggs —- symbols of one of Chris- tianity’s most holy holidays — originated from pagan fertility festi- vals. year, and so began another tradi- tion that would later find its way into current-day Western culture. The day on which Christians celebrate Easter is also based on the moon — but the reason for this has its origin in Judaism, not in the goddess-worshipping cultures of early Europe. Because the early Christians were Jewish, they, too, celebrat- ed Passover, which was held on the 14th day of Nisan, a month on the Jewish lunar calendar that corresponds to the solar calen- dar’s period of March/April. For some time, Christ’s resur- rection was celebrated at Passover as well, but later, when elements within the church wanted to distance the Christian from the Jewish faith (which doesn’t view Jesus Christ as the Son of God), there was a move- ment to separate the dates of Passover and Easter. A compromise was eventually reached — the date of Easter is now calculated using both the Jewish lunar calendar and the Roman solar calendar. Each year, the festival is held on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox. This means Easter never falls be- fore March 22 or after April 25. In other languages, the words for ‘‘Easter’’ — paques, pascha, pasch, and pascua, among others — still reveal their origins from ‘‘pesach,’’ the Hebrew word for *‘pass over.”’ This week’s religious events in Baghdad, during which time he proclaimed himself as the one announced by the Bab, the This week’s religious calendar: TUESDAY: founder of the Baha’i religion who was executed in Last day of Passover. 1850. WEDNESDAY: SUNDAY: © Panel discussion on five important theological e Archbishop Douglas Hambidge leads a Friendship Sunday at St. Simon's Anglican April 16--CPR Course A - Heartsaver. N.V. YMCA, 440 Hendry Ave. 6-10 p.m. Learn one-person CPR, managing choking victim, signals of heart attack. Info: 986-0388. April, 17--Red Cross Blood Donor Clinic. 2-8 p.m. Lions Gate Hospital, Medica! Day Centre Gym, 200 E. 15th St. eee April 17--Seniors’ travel slides on China and Tibet. North Shore Neigh- bourhood House, 225 E. 2nd St., N.V. Host: Sanda Frost. Fee: S0¢. Info: 987-8138. eee April, 17--Following programs for adults begin at recCentre Lonsdale: tap dance, ballroom dance. Info: 988-6166. eee April 17--Watercolor painting class begins at recCenire Delbrook, 600 W. Queens Rd., N.V., 984-4181, eee April 17--Free speaker: Chalen Podgurny on Shamanism: what it is, what it does. 7 p.m. The Serenity Shop, 228 Lonsdale Ave. info: 987-8726. eae AFTER HOURS 645-8989 ARDAGH HUNTER TURNER Barristers & Solicitors IMPAIRED DRIVING [986-4366] !%. 300-1401 LONSDALE, NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. | Dr. Debra Rovinelli & Dr. Bart McRoberts S OPTOMETRISTS so are pleased to announce Dr. Corinne Knight has joined their practice GENERAL EYE AND VISION CARE Dundarave Terrace Prof. Bldg. 114-2419 Bellevue Ave, West Vancouver That First Spring Car Wash Won't Scrub Away April 17--Tree weaving for ages 55 and over. Silver Harbour Centre, 144 E. 22nd St., N.V. Six sessions, $6 + ma- terials. Pre-register: 980-2474, osve April 17--N.S. Arthritis Society support group. Lions Gate Hospital auditorium. 7:30 p.m. Everyone wel- come. Meetings are now on the third Tuesday of each month. Info: 925- 148. eee April 18--Adult bicycle safety program. recCentre Lonsdale. Info: 988-6166. April 18-Powerwalking: beeswax can- dle workshop; tai chi chuan workshops. recCentre Delbrook, 600 W. Queens Rd., N.V., Info: 984-418). eee April 18—Self-Esteem for Women. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Boundary Community School, 750 E. 26th St., N.V. Eight- week course. Pre-register: N.S. Family Services, 988-5281. seen For more Coming Events see first page of Classifieds. For arts and entertainment listings see the Around Town columa in Wednes- day's North Shore Now section. 925-2525 dimensions of the debate regarding the ordination of practising homosexuals in the United Church. Speakers are Rev. Art Van Seters, Rev. David Ewart, moderator Jack Forster. St. David's United Church, 1525 Taylor Way, West Van, 922-8118. 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY: ® St. Simon’s Anglican Church in Deep Cove hosts Archbishep Douglas Hambidge in a Follow-up Conference as a continuation of the re- cent Crossroads Conference led by Trevor and Andrea Fisher from Powell River. Info: 929-5350. © First day of Ridvan, the Baha’i holiday that commemorates the 12 days that Baha’u’llah spent in the earden of Ridvan in the last days of his exile Church, 1384 Deep Cove Rd., 9 a.m. and I a.m., designed to welcome those who do not go to church on a regular basis. © Lailat-ul-Qadr, Islam's Night of Power, com- memorates the first revelation of the Qur’an, the Islamic scriptures, to Prophet Muhammad in 610 C.E © Akshaya-tritiya is celebrated by the followers of jainism as the day on which Lord Rishabha brake his first year-long fast by drinking sugar cane juice. ¢ Yom ha-Shoah, on which Jewish people remember the six million Jews who were killed in the Second World War. ds Stuff Winter's Damage! April 17--Following children's pro- grams begin al recCentre Lonsdale: Tiny Tot Tumbling (3-5 years); Parent and Tot Recreation (2-5 years); Diaper Gym (1-3 years): Artistic Development (8-12 years); Animation (10 years plus); Soannastics (6-12 years). Info: 988- 66 April 17--Following cooking classes for children begin at recCentre Delbrook, 600 W. Queens Rd., N.V., 984-4181: Cook Up a Story; Kitchen Kapers. * z April 18--Following children's pro- grams begin at recCentre Lonsdale: Diaper Gym (1-3 years); Tiny Tot Tumbling (3-5 years); Drama Antics {7-10 years); Tap dancing (4-6 years, 7-12 years); Polynesian dancing (3-6 years, 7-12 years, 13 years plus); Art Explorations (6-8 years); babysitting training (10 years plus). Info: 988-6166. tee April 18--Following children’s pro- grams begin at N.V. YMCA, 440 Hen- dry Ave.: Diaper Gym (walking-3 years); Tumbleweeds (3 years); Motor Skil Development (4-5 years); Judo {8-12 years). Info: 986-0388. aee 984-4111 (next to Beaver Lumber) 199° | #98 estimates an bodywork “ten quatanter 945 West 1st St., North Vancouver te G PAINTINGS, ‘housands of color chores Duen baked frusn