Semana Santa - Enciclopedia Británica en Línea
Semana Santa - Enciclopedia Británica en Línea
Semana Santa - Enciclopedia Británica en Línea
Liturgical observances
In the Christian calendar, Easter follows Lent, the period of 40
days (not counting Sundays) before Easter, which traditionally
is observed by acts of penance and fasting. Easter is
immediately preceded by Holy Week, which includes Maundy
Thursday, the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his
disciples; Good Friday, the day of his Crucifixion; and Holy
Saturday, the transition between Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Liturgically, Easter comes after the Great Vigil, which was
originally observed sometime between sunset on Easter
Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday. Later it would be
celebrated in Western churches on Saturday evening, then on
Saturday afternoon, and finally on Sunday morning. In 1955
the Roman Catholic Church set the time for the vigil at 10 PM,
Easter customs
Easter, like Christmas, has accumulated a great many
traditions, some of which have little to do with the Christian
celebration of the Resurrection but derive from folk customs.
The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the
appellation used for Jesus in Scripture (“behold the lamb of God
which takes away the sins of the world,” John 1:29) and the
lamb’s role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. In antiquity
Christians placed lamb meat under the altar, had it blessed,
and then ate it on Easter. Since the 12th century the Lenten
fast has ended on Easter with meals including eggs, ham,
cheeses, bread, and sweets that have been blessed for the
occasion.
The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded
in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs
during Holy Week, but chickens continued to lay eggs during
that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as “Holy
Week” eggs brought about their decoration. The egg itself
became a symbol of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from
the tomb, the egg symbolizes new life emerging from the
eggshell. In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to
symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross.
Easter egg hunts are popular
among children in the United
States. First lady Lucy Hayes, the
wife of Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes,
is often credited with sponsoring
Easter egg the first annual Easter egg roll
Eastern European Easter eggs and
(an event where children and
toy chick on a plate.
AdstockRF their parents were invited to roll
their eggs on the Monday
following Easter) on the White House lawn, in 1878. That year
the event was moved to the White House from the grounds of
the U.S. Capitol Building, where large numbers of children had
gathered beginning in the early 1870s to roll their eggs and play
on Easter Monday. Members of Congress were dismayed by the
large crowds on Capitol Hill and feared that the foot traffic was
damaging the grounds. By 1876 Congress and Pres. Ulysses S.
Grant passed a law that forbade the practice of egg rolling on
Capitol Hill. Some historical records note that the Hayes first
opened the White House lawn to egg rolling festivities the
following year, in 1877, after a young boy asked President
Hayes directly for permission to use the space.
Hans J. Hillerbrand
Citation Information
Título del artículo: Semana Santa
Nombre del sitio web: Enciclopedia Británica
Editorial: Enciclopedia Británica, Inc.
Fecha de publicación: 11 de abril de 2022
URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday
Fecha de acceso: 12 de mayo de 2022