Easter is a religious holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. It’s one of the most important celebrations in the Cristian calendar, symbolizing rebirth. In addition, a very famous tradition in Brazil is the Easter bunny, very popular among children. The celebrations last three days, and most people use this time to spend and celebrate with the family.
An important fact about Easter is that it’s a moveable holiday: it happens on the first Sunday after the full moon after the vernal equinox. And, before Easter, most Christians enter a 40-day lent, of repentance fasting and reflection, that starts on Ash Wednesday.
Religious traditions
- Good Friday:
Friday is a day for reflections, silence, and respect. It’s the day that Jesus was crucified, He was given the crown of thorns and carried the cross to the place where he would do his sacrifice to free humanity from their sins, according to Christianity.
A very popular tradition between families is the Good Friday supper, where the whole family gets together for a special meal. But, an important reminder is that the meal doesn’t allow meat as a partial fast in a sign of respect and a sacrifice. That works in a form of acknowledgement for the pain and suffering that Jesus went through for them.
- Easter Saturday:
It’s the first day after the crucifixion and death of Jesus, throughout the day the Christians get together to pray in vigils to prepare for the resurrection of Christ.
- Easter Sunday:
The last day of the holiday represents the resurrection. That means it’s time to celebrate because the savior came back. So the families get together again to supper, but now the lunch has a happy meaning.
Easter bunny traditions
The Easter bunny is a big symbol in modern times for children, and on Sunday it’s tradition to look for the chocolate that he left for you. One of the origin stories for that is that the first being to see Christ resurrected was a bunny, so he was chosen to be the one to bring the good news for the kids. And the egg is a symbol of life and rebirth, so then came the chocolate eggs to fill that spot.
But the chocolate egg tradition doesn’t rely only on the bunny, throughout the years people established the habit of gifting each other. And there are all the flavors and types of eggs you can imagine in the market.
Since Easter is already knocking on our door, we hope these information can help you understand Brazilians’ main traditions on this holiday better and enjoy it.
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The article above was edited by Giulia Lozano.
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