Passover and Easter

Passover & Easter

Christianity and Judaism are the few examples of religions that are originated from Western Traditions. These religions take different approaches to representational art and iconography which is found in their religious festivals. The Christian celebration of Easter and the Jewish Passover differentiate in their approaches to these icons in the history, the celebration and the symbols used during the commemoration of these holidays.

Passover and Easter have many hidden representational art and iconography that are reflected in the historical stories behind Judaism and Christianity. For Jewish people, the Exodus story narrated the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt which dates back to the 13th century BC. The story begins with a Shepard named Moses who hears God calling his name in the form of a burning bush. God tells Moses to return to Egypt and demand Pharaoh to let his people go. Many Jews believed that the burning bush represented the Israelite people in bondage, and the fire symbolized the forces of persecution that the Egyptians exercised on their Jewish ancestors (Holiday Celebrations). Just like the bush being burnt, but not consumed, the Israelites were being tormented but refused to perish from Egyptian’s oppression. Due to the Pharaoh’s unwillingness to free the Israelites, God delivered upon the Egyptians ten plagues; water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locust, darkness, and death of the first born (Exod. 7-14) . In a sense, these plagues represented God’s almighty power

over the Egyptian gods. Each plague was an attack on a particular Egyptian god. Moreover, not only was God’s purpose to reduce Pharaoh’s resistance and free the Israelites with the plagues, it also displayed God’s power conquering over the Egyptian gods; proving He is the one true God (Holiday Celebrations). Because of the plagues, Pharaoh finally surrendered and freed the Israelites from slavery.

For Christians, the story of Jesus’ resurrection is celebrated on a holiday known as Easter. The narration begins with Jesus being arrested for exclaiming that He was the Son of God. He was taken to the Roman governor, Pilate, who delivered Him to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus away and cast a crown of thorns on His head and a reed on His right hand (Matt. 27:28-30). To Christians, the crown of thorns and the reed symbolizes Jesus’ Passion and reminds them of the soldier’s mockery to Him (Curtis). When Jesus arrived to Golgotha, He was nailed to the cross and soon after dies. The symbol of Jesus’ crucifixion is what Christians live by. It represents Jesus sacrificing his life to save humanity from their evil sins. When He died, He was taken down from the cross and was buried in a tomb, where He resurrected into Heaven and was seated at the right Hand of God. Jesus’ resurrection symbolizes two things. First, it proves to Christians that Jesus is the Son of God (Curtis). In the Bible, Paul affirmed that Christ is declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4). Second, Jesus’ resurrection represented an assurance that all of humanity is saved and forgiven for their sins (Curtis).

Passover and Easter also have representational art and iconography that are displayed in how the religious festivals are celebrated by Jewish people and Christians.

Jewish people celebrate Passover with a ritual dinner called Seder, which represents the meal that the Israelites ate before fleeing Egypt (Oxtoby 123). In a Passover Seder, the head of the family begins the ceremony by sanctifying the holiday with a Qiddush, or benediction, over a cup of wine (Tobias 88). While reciting a prayer, raw vegetables dipped in vinegar, a shank bone and a hard-boiled egg are presented to the family members. Then, a second cup of wine is poured and at this time, the Passover liturgy, or Haggadah, begins (Oxtoby 124). The Haggadah starts with the youngest child asking four questions. One by one, family members answers these questions to give a spiritual interpretation of the Exodus story and to keep the sacred Jewish tradition alive (Tobias 88). When all have eaten, a third cup of wine is poured to express their thanks to God. When the dinner comes to a conclusion, a fourth cup of wine is poured to end the Seder and to acknowledge God’s loving Providence (Tobias 89).

Similarly, Easter is a Christian holiday that commemorates the disciples’ experience on the morning after the Sabbath when Jesus resurrected (Oxtoby 221). The six week period that comes before Easter is called Lent. During Lent, abstinence from eating meat or giving up other pleasures is practiced. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts. It is a time of wild partying - the last opportunity