Suggestions for Better Celebration of Easter

[JesuXPIPassio]

Since Lent is coming up, I wanted to ask a question about how we could celebrate Easter better. I’ve been wondering this since last Christmas.

As we all know, Easter is the primary celebration for the Church, and it’s by far more important than Christmas. But, Christmas is celebrated so enthusiastically. We have gifts, we decorate our homes, we go all out. We have dinner parties, Christmas Carols and it’s a time of family, friends and love.

But Easter is more important than Christmas, yet it doesn’t receive nearly the same sort of attention (I’m guessing because how the media and corporations try to capitalise on it – even Halloween and Valentine’s Day get more attention). I don’t think I’ve ever driven by anyone’s house and seen Easter decorations out front, and I’m pretty sure I’d be laughed at if I went Easter Caroling around my neighbourhood.

So, what can we all do to fix this? What can each of us as private individuals do to counter this error? Any suggestions? I’m open to any ideas. It actually would be nice if we could all band together and try to set this agenda forward.

Any Bishops reading this? I hope Your Excellencies are interested.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Since Lent is coming up, I wanted to ask a question about how we could celebrate Easter better. I’ve been wondering this since last Christmas.

As we all know, Easter is the primary celebration for the Church, and it’s by far more important than Christmas. But, Christmas is celebrated so enthusiastically. We have gifts, we decorate our homes, we go all out. We have dinner parties, Christmas Carols and it’s a time of family, friends and love.

But Easter is more important than Christmas, yet it doesn’t receive nearly the same sort of attention (I’m guessing because how the media and corporations try to capitalise on it – even Halloween and Valentine’s Day get more attention). I don’t think I’ve ever driven by anyone’s house and seen Easter decorations out front, and I’m pretty sure I’d be laughed at if I went Easter Caroling around my neighbourhood.

So, what can we all do to fix this? What can each of us as private individuals do to counter this error? Any suggestions? I’m open to any ideas. It actually would be nice if we could all band together and try to set this agenda forward.

Any Bishops reading this? I hope Your Excellencies are interested.

A lot of the things you mention about Christmas are secular activities. However the one thing many Christians do is display a Nativity scene in their front yard. IF every Christian were to go to the lumber yard and construct a 8 foot tall (10 ft with 2 ft in the ground) and 4 ft horozantal cross in their front yards with a purple cloth on it. Changing it to white at Easter Vigil. That would be neat. To drive down the road and see Cross after Cross.

 

[mommyof4]

A lot of the things you mention about Christmas are secular activities. However the one thing many Christians do is display a Nativity scene in their front yard. IF every Christian were to go to the lumber yard and construct a 8 foot tall (10 ft with 2 ft in the ground) and 4 ft horozantal cross in their front yards with a purple cloth on it. Changing it to white at Easter Vigil. That would be neat. To drive down the road and see Cross after Cross.

Good idea - thanks!

 

[JesuXPIPassio]

A lot of the things you mention about Christmas are secular activities.

Sure, but those secular Christmas activities are based on pious religious tradition. Our secular activities with Easter should outshine what we do for Christmas. The devotion in our private lives should expand over unto our secular lives. We’re Christians through and through.

 

[puzzleannie]

So, what can we all do to fix this? What can each of us as private individuals do to counter this error? Any suggestions? I’m open to any ideas. It actually would be nice if we could all band together and try to set this agenda forward.

Any Bishops reading this? I hope Your Excellencies are interested.

begin by a good Lent, prayer, fasting and almsgiving, as individuals, as families, and through participating in some parish initiative, such as faith-sharing groups based on the Lenten gospels, Operation Rice Bowl etc.

Way of the Cross at least weekly during Lent

Participate in all the liturgies of Holy Week prayerfully and attentively.

too late to start for this year, but new RCIA class should be forming now: sponsor a person in RCIA and walk with them on their journey.

participate in the Easter Vigil, the most awesome liturgy of the year. words fail to describe it.

medidate on the gospels of Easter, including the Emaus gospel for Mass during the day. throughout Easter Week.

Host something for the neophytes shortly after Easter to welcome them into parish social life and activities. this is a great time for a parish picnic just for this reason (even if it has to be indoors because of the weather).

learn about mystagogy, study of the mysteries, the period after Easter until Pentecost when the neophytes reflect deeply on the the transformation the have just undergone through the Easter sacraments.

Celebrate Easter as a Season, not just a day through
Divine Mercy Novena
Novena to the Holy Spirit before Pentecost
Attending spring sacramental celebrations like confirmations, first communions and ordinations.

Celebrate Pentecost as a parish in some way.

 

[runandsew]

I think a “He is risen” sign in the yard. if you are trying to evangelize others.
I think anything more would distract from the message of the resurrection.

I see these sorts of things in yards all around town, signs and crosses and such, during easter, but they are taken down shortly after, I would keep it up until Pentecost.

I would probably keep it real simple in decorating my yard, but celebrate wildly in my heart.

 

[LindaS]

One of the things my DH & I do ::: we have those one of those ornamental banners hanging outside our house, and we use only religious banners. We have 4 (! ) for Christmas, one for Easter, one for Thanksgiving, and several for Ordinary time. Right now, we’re using a banner that has a lighthouse and the words, " God is our light." We also have one with the verse from Joshua, “As for me & my house, we will serve the Lord.” We’ve never had any comments, but we are trying to evangelize in our small way. We have also had a pro-life banner, when we can find them! They’re tough to find.

Peace,
Linda

 

[cheddarsox]

Much of the emphasis at Christmas IS secular, and has little to do with the faith aspects.

As a kid, we kept a Holy Lent, Holy week and Easter. The very fact that it was nearly void of any secular stuff made it special. It always was my favorite holiday, far supassing Christmas. The six weeks of preparation during Lent focused our attention to the entire meaning of our faith. I loved it, all the hype and glitz was stripped away, it was just us and God and our souls, wrestling with the big stuff.

Even as kids we weren’t excused or our Lenten load lightened as I heard was common in many families. I appreciated being accepted and expected to behave like the grown ups in the faith.

I urge people NOT to bury Easter under a barrage of “stuff”, cutsie new fangled traditions, etc. etc. It is a holy day that is very capable of standing for itself. The Resurrection is wonderful enough that there is truly nothing we can or need add that can make the day any more wonderful. We need to have faith enough to allow it to shine for itself, and trust that it can.

I think somtimes we are afraid that holy days will fall short if we don’t dress them up, or that our souls have become so jaded that they no longer know how to respond to grace and the sacred. We don’t have faith enough that our hearts can be filled by the significance of the day, rich with meaning. But I know that they can, if we give them a chance.

 

[Mintaka]

Hey! There are plenty of cutesey old-fangled Easter traditions already! A few cutesey new ones won’t hurt!

First off, celebrating Holy Week very solemnly makes Easter very joyful.

Easter outfits, colored eggs, growing resurrection grass, lilies, butterflies, eating lamb and Easter breads, making your own paschal candle… tons of things for Easter! And that’s just the beginning!

Then there’s Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday. Then there’s all the great festivals leading up to Pentecost, and after Pentecost, too. Eastertide’s big stuff, and we’ve forgotten most of it!

 

[DRIVING_BEAR]

First I would lose the name Easter.

Easter is derived from a celebration of the pagan goddess Ishtar a fertility goddess.

I would change the name back to First Fruits , the original Jewish name for the holiday

Second " kill " the easter bunny

 

[JesuXPIPassio]

Okay, but it’s a Christian Feast, not Jewish. The “First Fruits” is the celebration of Passover, right? It’s not the celebration of the Resurrection of God and the destruction of death. It’s not even on the same day.

First I would lose the name Easter.

Easter is derived from a celebration of the pagan goddess Ishtar a fertility goddess.

I would change the name back to First Fruits , the original Jewish name for the holiday

Second " kill " the easter bunny

 

[DRIVING_BEAR]

Okay, but it’s a Christian Feast, not Jewish. The “First Fruits” is the celebration of Passover, right? It’s not the celebration of the Resurrection of God and the destruction of death. It’s not even on the same day.

The holiday First fruits is celebrated on the morning after the sabbath following the passover holiday, the same day christians celebrate easter

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

In addition to all the usual stuff: In your domestic church, try to do without “fire” as much as possible for the time from Good Friday to the Easter Vigil. This means dim lights when night falls, no TV; could mean cold meals.