Ostern: Life Begins From Easter
In the Christian world, Easter just like Christmas incorporates within itself elements from both pre-Christian era and the Christian era as well. As far as the word Ostern is concerned, it is Germanic in origin but does not hold elaborate differences when it comes to the rest of the world. It has numerous features along with processes and declares the time of festivities, holidays and joy throughout the region.
Beginning with children of all age groups and the adults as well immerse themselves in the fun and the frolic. For the children, the festival of Ostern symbolises a lot more than just fun and happiness. The greatest joy that they derive is probably out of the Easter eggs or Osterei, as it is known in the German language. These eggs on the other hand also carry an important symbolic meaning that is of fertility and new life. People consume these sweet delights after the 40 days’ worth of abstinence that they follow during Lent or Fastenzeit.
As far as the precise origin of the tradition is concerned it does not hold much clarity. In the case of the Easter eggs, a certain amount of mystery is there as well but traditionally they have been meticulously prepared in the household itself. Now, the decoration of the Easter Eggs is conducted by the Easter Bunny or the Osterhase. The story of the Easter Bunny is also quite interesting and it has forever held the status of a sacred animal in the region. Both St. Nicholas and the Easter Bunny hold an elusive characteristic when it comes to the tradition. However, St. Nicholas in the mysteries of the tradition is known to leave behind a life-size chocolate version of himself along with Easter Eggs on the very Easter morning. Such imageries can be seen across Easter cards.
The Tradition
In Christianity, Easter or Ostern is an annual event and marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With reference to the New Testament, the religious philosophy tries to explain the overcoming of death by the Son of God.
The tradition of Easter was brought about in Germany when the Franco-German ecclesiastical provinces began to attain a structured form. However, there still existed differences based on linguistics and clerical matters. Problems arose between the Eau de Cologne Church which was also the Archdiocese of Cologne and Bishopric of Mainz. They were Frankish and Anglo-Saxon respectively. More or less this event is considered to be the etymological root of the festival.
Easter in Germany
Ostern is one of the most awaited festivals in Germany. The day of Easter arrives after the passage of the very long and harsh German winter. Therefore, it is even more of a matter of celebration and festivities. With the end of Easter comes the rather much more anticipated season of spring. The rest of the world might just be surprised when it comes to the numerous seasons and festivals that originate in Germany.
German traditions
Germans begin their preparation for Easter about a week prior to the day. Spring flowers are a usual citing during this week that is put on display on the traditional Easter trees along with twigs and brushes that are typically shown dripping due to the weight of the vivid Easter Eggs.
Another custom which pertains to the Easter Eggs is the boiling and colouring part. They are often painted in quite bright colours and as a whole symbolise the coming of new life, growth and prosperity.
The other in the list of customs and traditions is the Easter Rabbit. Indeed the most widely recognised and popular symbol of Easter. The Easter Bunny is known for its symbolic meaning that is of fertility. Historically speaking, the first mention of the Easter Bunny dates back to the 16th century in German literature. It is from here that this symbol travelled to the United States of America through the Dutch settlers. These settlers popularly called the symbol as the Oschter Haws or the Easter Hare. Interestingly enough, the edible versions so the Easter Bunnies that are popular today were first introduced sometime around the year 1800.
While in Germany, you are bound to notice that the Easter weekend is very long. It comprises of Good Friday and Easter Monday. These days can be slightly troublesome if you choose to travel to Germany during the weekend because they are public holidays. This implies that all the banks, public offices and most of the shops will remain shut. Furthermore, public transportation, such as buses and trains also operate on limited schedule. Additionally, schools are also closed at least the children have a great time. Now, also keep in mind that during this time of the year most of the hotels, trains, museums and other touristy places would remain unusually crowded. Therefore, it is advisable that you either pre-book everything that is possible or just go there a little earlier.
Now, if you happen to be lucky and in Germany during Easter it is an imperative that you remember to greet everyone with – Frohe Ostern, it translates as Happy Easter in the English language.
The day of Good Friday
Easter weekend begins with Good Friday or Karfreitag. Furthermore, most of the German families follow tradition and eat at least one or the other kind of a fish dish. It is a matter of usual practice.
The day of Easter Saturday
On this day usually the German families flock together to the local Easter markets. Such markets are usually open air and numerous handicraft items with the likes of Easter Eggs, carved decoration items and other locally made products of arts and craft are sold. The best part about these markets is the bakeries. They typically sell Ostern treats and the most popular among them is a cake in the shape of a lamb. In the northern parts of Germany on this day, one can find people lighting Easter bonfires that are meant to chase away darker spirits that take over the land during the winter months and welcome the savoury warmth of the season to come.
Easter Sunday
The highlight of the festive weekend is Easter Sunday. The mornings begin with the elder folks hiding coloured products and hard boiled eggs along with bunnies that are baked in chocolate and presents in a basket. The religiously inclined families visit the first mass or the Easter service and it is then followed by a traditional arrangement of lunch which includes traditional items like lamb, potatoes and fresh veggies.
When it comes to certain kinds of unusual practices and traditions the festival of Easter has many. Some of them can be listed as follows:
- Passion Play in Oberammergau
This can be understood in terms of being more Christian-centric than the other traditions. The Oberammergau is the most popular among the various other Passion Plays. In this play, the trial and death of Christ are picturised and re-enacted. Moreover, the actors are locally sourced from a certain Bavarian village. The play is also historically significant because the local people believe that God saved them from the plague that killed more than half of the population in 1633.
Additionally, the play might not be a cup of tea for everyone simply because of its length. The play runs for nearly 6 hours and is performed once every ten years.
- Easter Bonfire
This tradition was in-fact limited to just the northern part of Germany but today one can find many such occurrences throughout the country. Large scale bonfires are lit on the eve of Easter Sunday. If you are a tree lover and wondering about all the carnage, then you needn’t be wary, most of the trees used in these fires are old Christmas trees which would have otherwise been simply shredded away. The custom of the bonfire was borrowed from the old Pagan rituals that date back even further from the birth of Christ. It is meant to symbolise the coming of spring.
- Ostereimuseum
It is the only one of its kind in the whole world. The Ostereimuseum or the Easter Egg Museum has a tiny temples structure and holds a lot of cultural significance. Ostereimuseum is located in Sonnenbühl near Stuttgart. Once can find numerous decorated and crafted eggs procured from a variety of animals here.
Easter and its traditions have also inspired many artists in history. Some of their works that are dedicated to the season can be listed as follows:
- Claude Lorrain (1600-1682): Easter morning (a painting, 1681).
- Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866): On Easter morning (poem).
- Emanuel Geibel (1815-1884): Easter morning (poem).
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): Osterspaziergang (a dramatic scene).
- Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848): On Easter Sunday, the Easter assembly (1820).
- Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (1805-1900): Easter morning (Orgelsonate).
- Ina Böll: Easter morning (Poems, 1982).